| Unit Name: | General Inspectorate of Aviation |
| Dates: | 20 December 1948 |
| Country: | Romania |
| Command Structure: | Ministry of Internal Affairs |
| Garrison: | Aurel Vlaicu International Airport |
| Garrison Label: | HQ |
| Equipment: | EC-135/Mi-8/Mi-17/IAR 316B/S-70M |
| Current Commander: | Air Flotilla General Cătălin-Paul Dache |
| Current Commander Label: | General Inspector |
The General Inspectorate of Aviation (Romanian; Moldavian; Moldovan: Inspectoratul General de Aviație - IGAv) (formerly Special Aviation Unit - Unitatea Specială de Aviație) is Ministry of Internal Affairs's air component. The unit was initially established in 1948, but restructured in 1978. It has its overall headquarters at Aurel Vlaicu International Airport and operates five territorial flights in Bucharest, Caransebeș, Cluj-Napoca, Iași and Tulcea. The current General Inspector is Air Flotilla General Cătălin-Paul Dache.
Following the Second World War, it was decided to form an aviation structure that can serve the civil society. In this sense, the Air Transport Flotilla was established on 20 December 1948 at the Dudești-Cioplea airfield. Between 1949 and 1960, the unit was based on the Popești-Leordeni aerodrome, then it was moved to the Otopeni airport until 1973. From 1979 on, it is located at the Aurel Vlaicu International Airport.[1]
On 1 May 2008, the unit was reorganized by establishing the Aviation Inspectorate and four special aviation units subordinate to it located in Bucharest, Cluj Napoca, Iași, and Tulcea. Starting from 15 May the same year, the unit became operational.[1]
Besides the five Special Aviation units (located in Bucharest, Caransebeș, Cluj-Napoca, Iași and Tulcea), the Inspectorate also has a Training and Development Detachment located in Bucharest (Detașamentul de Instruire și Perfecționare București), and an Aeromedical Detachment (Detașamentul Aeromedical).[2] [3]
The Aeromedical Detachment, is a structure subordinated to the General Inspectorate of Aviation tasked with humanitarian life-saving missions. It performs flight missions as the air operator of the SMURD.[3]
The SMURD HEMS (Helicopter Emergency Medical System) bases are led by commanders appointed by the General Inspector of the General Aviation Inspectorate, while the personnel who perform the on-call service for the intervention are designated by the cooperating structures.[3]
Over the course of its history, the aviation structure operated various types of aircraft: Ju 52, Lockheed 10, Fiesler Storch, Fleet 10, Po-2, Klemm Kl 25, Klemm Kl 35, Heinkel He 111, Bücker Jungmeister, Messerschmitt Bf 108 Taifun, RWD 8, RWD 13, RWD-14, Aero L-60 Brigadýr, Aero 45, Li-2, An-2, and BN-2.[1] Currently, there are 5 types of helicopters and four airplanes in service:[4]
| Type | Notes |
|---|---|
| Helicopters | |
| Eurocopter EC135 | Used by IGAv; also operated for SMURD |
| IAR 316B | 2 in service |
| Mil Mi-8 | 2 in service |
| Mil Mi-17 | 3 in service[5] |
| S-70M Black Hawk | 7 in service; also operated for SMURD[6] [7] |
| Airplanes | |
| Piper PA-42 Cheyenne | One operated for SMURD |
| Cessna Citation V | One operated for SMURD |
| Learjet 75 | Two operated for SMURD[8] |
In 2021, seven S-70M Black Hawk built by PZL Mielec were purchased.[9] A total of 12 Black Hawks desired.[10] First Black Hawk was delivered in November 2023, with the last being delivered in December.[11] [7]