28/10/2019
My email response to: "How much for a helicopter to pick us up in Haiti and evacuate to Dominican Republic?"
Good morning. Thank you for your inquiry. It is so wonderful and wise for you to ask this question before you need it. It is the exception, not the rule in my experience.
The rate for this service is dependent on several variables: number of passengers, location, aircraft availability and relative demand at any given time. The only aircraft that is frequently readily available for this service is an AS 130 B4 (or similar AS350/355), 6-passenger, rotary aircraft, at (currently) US$2625/hour. This aircraft is housed in JBQ Santo Domingo City Airport. I don't know where you are in Haiti, but you can expect a mission to run between 3 and 5 hours. Accordingly, you are looking at something between US$7,875 and US$13,125. When the situation is really hot on the ground in Haiti, I have seen the minimum bounce up to US$13,350.
It is important to note with regards to helicopter evacuation from Haiti:
We must have GPS coordinates of landing zone and photographic evidence of its appropriateness: 100'x100' of unobstructed, relatively flat land clear of debris and powerlines.
Helicopters do not take off until payment in full has been received. This is, in my experience, the single most significant factor that delays evac as credit cards are rarely accepted in these kinds of situations.
Aircraft and all passengers must pass through customs and immigrations entering and exiting both Dominican Republic and Haiti. This is to say that the aircraft does not fly directly from pick up spot in Haiti to Dominican Republic. Customs and migration services must be processed in PAP or CAP prior to departing Haitian airspace. Further, the rate for evacuating to PAP (or CAP) is the same as evacuating to Santo Domingo since the helicopter must return there anyway.
Helicopters must be on the ground in DR at home heliport between dusk and dawn.
All that said, "pay for service" helicopter evacuation is not the ideal. Purchasing an insurance with political and security evacuation coverage is much more affordable and puts you in an informed position from the get-go. Through http://www.travelinsurancehaiti.com/ we offer several kinds of insurance products: emergency medical, travel, long term medical and transportation. Coverage for a security evacuation due to political unrest or natural disaster falls under transportation insurance. I recommend https://ss.globalrescue.com/partner/haiti/.
There are some more affordable emergency medical and travel insurance products (which we also provide https://producer.imglobal.com/international-insurance-plans.aspx?imgac=526104) that offer security evacuation for political unrest and natural disasters, but...in the fine print...this benefit is not covered in a country that has had a Travel Advisory issued against it by a foreign power within the 6 months leading up to the incident. The most recent US State Department Travel Advisory for Haiti was issued on June 11, 2019.
Long story short: it is better to definitely spend US$300 than maybe spend US$10,000.
Please let me know if you have any further questions.
Sincerely,
Richard
tih
