Noise, Waste, and Suspicions: How the Lisbon Air Emergency Became a Political and Financial Problem

This Sunday, before dawn, I was abruptly awakened by a sound many Lisbon residents are beginning to recognize: the roar of a Merlin MH-101 helicopter soaring through the city's skies. It wasn't a routine flight, but rather a mission linked to the INEM (National Institute of Emergency Medicine), and as part of the "Measure Noise Project" for Neighbors in Lisbon, I recorded values above 77 dBA. A high enough value to explain the early awakening of many residents.

The origin of this noise is more than a temporary nuisance; it's a symptom of a systemic problem in the management of aerial medical emergencies in Portugal. Since the public contract for the operation of medical emergency helicopters was awarded to Omni Helicopters International/Omni Helicopters Portugal (OHP), reports of civilian aircraft being unavailable have increased, forcing military helicopters, such as the Portuguese Air Force's EH-101/MH-101, to be used.

The consequences for the public purse are serious and, surprisingly, little discussed: a Merlin helicopter costs between 15,000 and 20,000 euros per hour—costs typically associated with heavy military missions, such as search and rescue on the high seas, never with the routine operations of the National Emergency Medical Service (INEM). In contrast, the light EC135 helicopters, which should provide civilian emergency medical services, have much lower costs: between 2,000 and 3,500 euros per hour, including medical crew.

In other words, every time the lack of civilian resources forces the Air Force to replace the service, we all pay at least five to seven times more. It's fair to ask: how did we get here?

The answer lies in the management of the last public tender for INEM helicopters. Omni won the process, becoming responsible for meeting the country's needs with a prepared and operational fleet. However, the transition was marked by opposition from the previous operator, Babcock, which denounced Omni's lack of certified assets and experience in this type of mission. Added to this is the controversy revealed by the newspaper Público in February 2024: the director of Omni Helicopters International is a close relative of Pedro Duarte, then Minister of the Presidency. Although this relationship was not considered illegal, it raised suspicions among many of favoritism in an absolutely critical sector.

What's at stake isn't just noise, but the noise of opaque political decisions that undermine public trust and financially penalize us all. At six-thirty in the morning, this noise reverberated not only in the walls of buildings in Lisbon and other cities across the country, but also in the civic consciousness of those who expect greater accountability, greater competence, and less suspicion in the management of emergency services in Portugal.