The Royal Flying Doctor Service of Western Australia (RFDS WA) is renewing its partnership with Australian metals, energy, and technology company Fortescue to support the RFDS Fortescue Heli-Med Service for a further five years.

The RFDS Fortescue Heli-Med Service launched in May 2022, making RFDS WA the first Flying Doctor section in Australia to utilise rotary services. The service recently reached a major milestone of 1,000 patient retrievals by helicopter.

The service created vital flexibility, with its two Airbus EC145 helicopters capable of operating within a 250 km radius of Perth without refuelling and extending to locations including the Abrolhos Islands, Kalgoorlie and Albany if required.

In 2025 alone, 376 patients were retrieved in the RFDS Fortescue Heli-Med Service, including 35 unwell newborns and premature babies.

Rottnest Island was where the helicopters landed the most during 2025, with 50 patients transferred. From there, patients can be flown directly to the heli-deck of Perth Children's Hospital, Fiona Stanley Hospital or Royal Perth Hospital in under 10 minutes, eliminating the need for ambulance transfer, saving vital time and making a life-changing difference when every minute counts.

RFDS WA CEO Judith Barker said the RFDS is very grateful for Fortescue's ongoing commitment, which will allow this vital service to continue.

“In 2025, our crews transferred 181 patients from Fortescue sites across WA,” she says. “Knowing the RFDS is there for its people, if needed, allows Fortescue to operate its remote sites with confidence, and this renewed partnership allows the RFDS to operate our helicopter service with confidence.”

Fortescue Metals and Operations CEO, Dino Otranto said the RFDS does an incredible job right across regional and remote Western Australia.

“Since we started the service together four years ago, it's completed over 1,000 retrievals. That shows just how important the service has become for communities across the state,” comments Otranto. “Extending our partnership for another five years was an easy decision. It's a service people rely on, and we're proud to play a part in supporting it.”