PAD Aviation, a private aviation operator based in Germany, has received strategic investment from TransMedics Group, a US medical technology company that is transforming organ transplant therapy for patients with end-stage lung, heart and liver failure.

The investment in PAD Aviation is a critical step forward for TransMedics’ ongoing efforts to replicate its National OCS Program (NOP) model in Europe to expand the adoption of OCS perfusion technology and establish a dedicated pan-European organ transplant air and ground logistics network to support transplant activities across the EU.

“We are thrilled to partner with the PAD Aviation team and to welcome them to our TransMedics family. Together, we can create a significant opportunity to increase the utilisation of precious donor organs to save more European transplant patients,” states Waleed Hassanein, president and chief executive officer of TransMedics.

Founded in 2006, PAD Aviation is a leading European business aviation operator, independent of commercial airlines. The company operates from its 24/7 hub in Paderborn, Germany, offering maximum flexibility, particularly for time-critical missions such as organ transport. From its centrally located base, PAD Aviation’s aircraft can rapidly reach destinations across Europe. The company operates a modern fleet, including nine Embraer Phenom 300 aircraft, and employs more than 40 highly trained and type-rated pilots. PAD Aviation holds a valid EASA AOC.

TransMedics is a leader in portable extracorporeal warm perfusion and assessment of donor organs for transplantation. Headquartered in Andover, Massachusetts, the company was founded to address the unmet need for more and better organs for transplantation and has developed technologies to preserve organ quality, assess organ viability prior to transplant and potentially increase the utilisation of donor organs.