PrivatAir says its passengers will have complete peace of mind should they suddenly become ill in-flight. The Geneva-based carrier claims to be the first private charter company to introduce the in-flight passenger health monitoring system, Tempus 2000, developed by UK-based Remote Diagnostic Technologies (RDT), onboard its BBJ aircraft.

Said a spokesman: “The use of this technology will significantly increase the quality of PrivatAir’s onboard medical provision, as Tempus 2000 is capable of supporting almost any in-flight medical incident – such as a child with asthma, a woman with angina, or a businessman experiencing a panic attack.”

The device uses an in-built modem to allow the cabin crew to send a patient’s vital signs, such as pulse rate, blood oxygen levels, temperature, blood pressure and 12-lead Electrocardiogram (ECG) – as well as video images to a 24-hour ground-based medical support team, MedLink, based in Arizona, USA.

Peter Waters, head of cabin service at PrivatAir, said: “The safety and welfare of our passengers is our top priority. We are therefore delighted to be installing this system onboard all our BBJ aircraft to enable us to guarantee our customers that the best possible medical care will be available at all times.

“We also fly our customers to remote safari locations, where having this system could prove invaluable in providing additional medical support”.

TEMPUS 2000 is said to be the first remote medical monitoring device designed specifically for non-expert use during any medical incident onboard an aircraft.

RDT managing director Graham Murphy said: “This is an excellent order for RDT, as PrivatAir is an important force in the corporate jet charter market.

“The system will provide the right diagnostic information to enable fast, informed medical decisions by the MedLink team.”