Interior Ministry: First Two Pilots Complete Leonardo AW 189 Chopper Training

Bratislava, March 19 (TASR) - The first two pilots of the Interior Ministry's Leonardo AW 189 helicopter have gone through their basic training, TASR learnt from ministry spokesperson Matej Neumann on Wednesday. The 12-day training course took place in February and was preceded by ground-based preparations. "At the moment, the helicopter is undergoing its regular annual checkup, with the training of the next two pilots slated to begin in April. This will be followed by special operations training; for instance, to put out forest fires," added the spokesperson. The Interior Ministry bought a Leonardo AW 189 along with the equipment and pilot-training courses for more than €13 million in a direct purchase, deeming the procurement critical for preserving the Interior Ministry's tasks. Subsequently, the contract was challenged in a court, which issued an injunction to ban the machine's use. Because of this, the Interior Ministry couldn't continue meeting the terms of the contract until the autumn of 2023, when the dispute was settled and the helicopter was once again cleared for use. mf/df