Operator Medic’Air International S.A., based in Paris, has released figures indicating a rise in flight hours over the past year. The company believes this is due to a combination of factors, including: A larger customer panel, becoming more and more known for specialisation and professionalism (offering a team of emergency and resuscitator doctors), having a good knowledge of Africa with a network of viable local providers, and developing new products.

Operations manager, Simonetta Sandri, told European Business Air News: “We have brought new products to the market, including combi-evac (which is less expensive than air ambulance, in every way) and also rescue evac (used for interventions on remote and isolated areas.”

The company offers a 24 hour service to its customers, companies come from a variety of countries (Belgium, France, Italy, Scandinavia, Spain, UK and United States) and it also caters for private individuals, aircraft operators and corporate clients.

Although the company doesn’t own a fleet, it offers a variety of aircraft under a co-operative agreement with French aircraft operators. These include a Eurocopter AS 355, Cheyenne 2, Beech King Air 90, 200 and 350, Merlin III, Corvette, Falcon 10, 50 and 900 and an Airbus 319. These air ambulances can transport patients, medical staff and relatives according to the aircraft size and capacity (a Beech King Air 200 can transfer two stretchers, two of the medical team and one relative; a Falcon 50, three stretchers, two of the medical team and three relatives).

Sandri explained: “The company specialises in remote and rescue evacuations, offering a very quick intervention and evacuation service. We have a great deal of interest in our services because of the speed, the cost and the medical competence of our teams. We are also able to assess a patient on the tarmac before a repatriation decision or be parachuted into an isolated area.

In particular we have an agreement with an American hospital in Paris to which we regularly evacuate patients.”

Since September 11, the company’s business has not been adversely affected. There were requests for intervention in areas near Afghanistan and its team is now equipped with anti-bacterial material.

Rescue interventions have also increased. “A customer from the United States also asked us to intervene at the Milan Linate airport crash, when there was a request to install a crisis unit to give medical support to the victims and psychological support to the family. Although the mission was not realised due to the tragic lack of survivors,” said Sandri.