Metro Aviation Unveils Airbus H140 Medical Interior Concept at AMTC 2026

Metro Aviation has announced a purchase agreement to acquire 12 Airbus H140 helicopters, with delivery anticipated as early as 2028. The announcement accompanies Metro Aviation’s presentation of an Airbus H140 medical interior concept, which outlines a potential configuration tailored for medical use.

The event signaling the deal and the concept showcase was not accompanied by publicly released details about the location, attendees, or the exact timing beyond the stated delivery window, according to Aviation International News. The report confirms the purchase agreement and the medical interior concept as the core elements of the coverage.

AeroTime reported additional context from the same event, noting that Florida-based Maxwell Aircraft unveiled a separate hybrid amphibious aircraft concept called the M1 Hybrid Cargo, or M1-HC. The concept is designed to transport cargo between waterways and remote airstrips, leveraging electric motors for extra takeoff power and jet-A-burning diesel engines for cruise, with a stated payload capacity of 2,000 pounds over distances exceeding 1,000 nautical miles.

According to AeroTime’s summary, the M1-HC would employ a propulsion system that combines electric motors with fuel-burning engines driving a common gearbox. The design targets up to 1,500 horsepower during takeoff and initial climb, tapering to about 300 horsepower in cruise, and emphasizes electric assistance primarily for takeoff and climb to reduce battery requirements compared to a fully electric configuration. Jet-A-burning engines would provide power during cruise, enabling longer range.

AeroTime attributes the M1-HC’s development to Maxwell CEO David Dillon, who stated that the goal was to rethink what an amphibious aircraft can do. Maxwell’s broader portfolio also includes an all-electric M1-E variant, indicating ongoing exploration of both electric and hybrid approaches to seaplane cargo operations. The M1 design draws on the airframe heritage of the Gweduck, a twin-engine amphibian first flown in 2009, with carbon-fiber and Kevlar construction planned for the cargo version.

Details from AeroTime describe a five-foot-wide cargo loading door and internal tie-downs integrated into the M1-HC, along with a listed cruise speed of 135 knots. The project involves Carbon Seaplanes as the airframe supplier, and Maxwell notes that initial flight testing for the concept is targeted for 2027, with first carbon-fiber and Kevlar Gweduck airframes produced and en route to final assembly.

The Maxwell information cited by AeroTime situates the broader news alongside Metro Aviation’s H140 development, but AeroTime’s piece focuses primarily on Maxwell’s hybrid amphibious concept and its intended missions, including island supply routes, remote communities, disaster response, and government operations. It does not indicate that the H140 medical interior concept or the Metro Aviation purchase is connected to Maxwell’s project beyond simultaneous coverage of aviation innovation.

In summary, Metro Aviation’s news centers on a confirmed plan to buy 12 Airbus H140 helicopters and to showcase a medical interior concept for those helicopters, with delivery possible as soon as 2028. Separately, AeroTime reports Maxwell Aircraft’s unveiling of the M1 Hybrid Cargo, a hybrid amphibious cargo aircraft concept designed for versatile operations, including remote and disaster response missions, with development milestones and technical details as described. The two threads appear to be part of broader AMTC 2026 coverage, but no shared details beyond their occurrence at the event are stated.