Ambulance flights

The expert staff at our Operation Center are available round the clock. (Source: DRF Luftrettung)

Our medical and aviation crews are heavily committed to each one of our repatriations,
ensuring that their patient is transported safely and comfortably. (Source: DRF Luftrettung)

If an ambulance flight is unnecessary or not desired, we organise land-based transport using an appropriate vehicle to repatriate patients from neighbouring countries.

Our patients’ well-being is our top priority during these transport missions, too. Among other things, we make sure that the relevant vehicle’s configuration is the optimal fit for transporting our patient safely and reliably. We also coordinate the admission to a hospital at the destination.

Charter flights

What happens if your family member, employee or clients is in a country far away and needs to go to hospital urgently? We are there by your side for these times as well. We organise an ambulance flight with one of our global partners using the fastest way possible.

Once your patient has stabilised and received initial care, we fly him or her to their destination using our aircraft or organise a scheduled commercial flight there for you.

Scheduled flights

When the patient’s state does not warrant an ambulance aircraft, we can also offer to transport him or her on a scheduled, commercial aircraft – and we take care of everything else:

• Suitable seat on plane
  • Sitting
  • Lying
  • Patient transport compartment (PTC) for intensive care
• Accompaniment by one of our doctors or paramedics
• Booking of tickets
• Passenger medical clearance form (MEDA)
• Ground transport to/from airport
• Hospital admission at destination

We also offer you our medical expertise and advice separately of all other services when discussing and evaluating missions – for example, when the patient is in a highly critical condition or the client has insufficient medical expertise. You can reach our doctor at the Operation Center round the clock 365 days per year.

Our services:

• Evaluation of medical reports
• Extensive discussions with the doctor at the current hospital – including in particular the patient’s condition and treatment conditions at the current hospital
• Medical recommendation:
  • Can the patient be transported?
  • Which mode of transport should be chosen based on the condition?
  • What should be noted for transport from a medical perspective?

Whether a family member or business client, we provide extensive advice about your options – for the well-being of the patient.

Some illnesses or injuries require that changes in air pressure are avoided at all costs. In such conditions, significant changes in pressure may lead to air pockets in the body growing larger and oxygen consumption increasing. For example, this is the case with:

• Lung disease such as severe pneumonia
• Pneumothorax (air in the cavity between the lungs and the chest wall)
• Anaemia (lowered haemoglobin concentration in the blood)
• Fresh wounds after an operation

These cases call for flying at sea level. Our aviation and medical crews have extensive experience in operating such flights. If the patient’s medical condition requires it, our crew flies at a lower level while also taking corresponding measures to adjust the cabin pressure to be optimal for the situation. This combined with our on-board equipment for intensive care means that we can also transport patients safely, quickly and expertly on sea level flights.

Things need to move quickly when blood or organs are being transported. Thanks to our large fleet of ambulance aircraft and helicopters as well as our international network of highly competent partners, we constantly stand ready for these transport missions with minimal notice needed. You can of course also talk to our Operation Center about this round the clock 365 days per year. Accordingly, our highly qualified team ensures that vital organ transfers and urgent blood and plasma product transport run quickly and reliably.