The call can come at any hour. A traveller has been seriously injured overseas and needs to get home. A patient in a regional hospital needs specialist care hundreds of kilometres away. Somewhere, a family is waiting to hear what happens next.
For the broker, assistance company or medical provider managing an air ambulance mission, the next few hours matter, and there is a great deal to fit into them.
The Call
It starts with one call to our 24/7 Operations team. From that moment, we take on the aviation side of the mission, from activation through to patient handover. It might be a retrieval, a transfer between hospitals, a medical repatriation or an emergency response. It might be an organ retrieval, where medical teams and organs have to be moved against the clock.
Before Take-Off
We bring in the inflight doctor and nurse from activation. Clinical and aviation planning run side by side rather than one after the other, so the medical plan and the flight plan are built together.
For suitable missions, we can work towards being airborne about two hours after an activation is confirmed. That depends on aircraft, crew, the medical team, permits and operational requirements. Where the jurisdiction allows, we can arrange permits and flight planning on the same day for urgent retrievals.
In The Air
Our Citation CJ2 and CJ4 jets can be configured as dedicated air ambulances using the Spectrum Aeromed powered stretcher system. The CJ2 suits domestic and regional missions, while the CJ4 takes on longer-range domestic and international work.
On board is a 3,500-litre oxygen supply, medical air, vacuum and 230-volt power for medical equipment, with mounting for a Lifepak 15 monitor/defibrillator and a Hamilton T1 ventilator. This allows the medical team to keep caring for the patient for the whole flight.
And the patient doesn’t have to travel alone. A family member or loved one can fly with them: one companion on the CJ2 and up to two on the CJ4, depending on the configuration. For someone unwell and far from home, a familiar face beside them can make a hard journey a little easier.
Across Borders
When the mission starts overseas, the list grows: permits, ground handling at origin, destination and any technical stops, fuel planning, crew logistics, and customs and immigration at both ends. Our Operations team handles all of it as part of the mission, rather than handing it back to the client as separate tasks.
We fly throughout Australia and across New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, the South Pacific and selected South-East Asian destinations. We hold Foreign Air Operator Certificates covering Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, Noumea and the South Pacific, and we also operate into Norfolk Island, Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands.
Arriving Home
As the aircraft returns to Australia, we work alongside the client on the operational side of patient acceptance at the receiving hospital, including arrival planning and transfer arrangements. The medical team stays with the patient through to handover.
When aircraft, crew, permits, handling and logistics sit with different parties, the person managing the case is left holding it all together. With one operator managing the aviation side from start to finish, the medical team can focus on the patient, and the family has one less thing to worry about.
Our air ambulance service is available 24/7 for medevac and emergency flights.
For urgent requirements, contact our 24/7 Operations team on +61 7 5457 0778.
