Duke Life Flight has joined the Metro Aviation family of operations customers. The hospital-based, traditional air medical programme, part of Duke Health, will also be receiving two new EC145e aircraft with IFR capability. Metro will assume operational control of the programme in January 2020.

“Metro Aviation's commitment to improving the safety and quality in the air medical industry is unparalleled; we are excited to partner with a company with whom we share common goals,” says Life Flight administrative director René Borghese.

Life Flight was founded in 1985 as the first hospital-based emergency transport service in North Carolina. Today, it flies more than 900 critical care transport cases a year and incorporates nurses, critical care paramedics, advanced life support paramedics and a dedicated neonatal/paediatric transport team consisting of nurses and respiratory therapists. In addition to responding to accident scenes and hospital transport requests, the team is able to provide care to patients who require specialised equipment such as Extra-Corporal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO), Intra-Aortic Balloon Pump (IABP) and Nitric Oxide Ventilation.

“Duke Life Flight has been a leader in air medical transport since it began over 30 years ago,” states Metro Aviation COO Kenny Morrow. “Our relationship with Life Flight began in 2012 with the delivery of two EC145 aircraft and we are honoured to further that partnership by providing aviation operations for a programme that has demonstrated innovation and a commitment to care since its inception.”

Metro Aviation will hire and train the pilots and mechanics to be provided, and complete comprehensive training for Life Flight's communication centre personnel and medical crew. Life Flight covers all of North Carolina and parts of South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia from its bases at Duke University Medical Center and Johnston Country Airport in Smithfield, North Carolina.