StarFlight's Victoria Police helicopters in Australia have soared to new heights this month, reaching the 20,000 flight hours milestone, equating to two years continually airborne since 2020.

The fleet raced to its latest 5,000 flying hours four months faster than the previous 5,000-hour milestone.

The achievement means Victoria Police has retained the top spot internationally for average flight hours per year for law enforcement operations across the three Leonardo AW139 helicopters.

The high usage rate was enabled by extensive maintenance work by dedicated and experienced StarFlight Victoria engineers and logistics support. In the past six years the team has completed 66 heavy maintenance inspections, 69,000 work cards, 31,500 engine starts and clocked up more than 100,000 engineering hours to support fleet availability. For every flying hour, five hours of engineering is required across structural, mechanical and avionics disciplines.

The aircraft are equipped with advanced infrared cameras, mapping systems and object detection software to support marine and land-based search operations.

StarFlight Victoria chairman Tony Fraser said the 20,000 hours reflected the strength of the long-term operational partnership with Victoria Police.

“VicPol is the global leader in cutting edge surveillance aviation and search and rescue in Australia,” Fraser shares. “As such, StarFlight's engineers play a vital role because, without their round-the-clock maintenance and repairs, the flight hours achieved here would not be possible.”

StarFlight Victoria director Ashley van de Velde adds that there were few fleets worldwide able to maintain such high usage rates: “These helicopters perform an extraordinary workload to help keep Victorians safe, and it's something we are immensely proud of. When we launched in 2020, the objective was to deliver a step change in aviation capability for Victoria Police. Reaching 20,000 hours demonstrates the maturity, resilience and reliability of that capability.”

StarFlight Australia is a partnership between medevac operator LifeFlight Australia and logistics company Linfox, delivering mission-critical aeromedical and rescue aviation services. StarFlight combines LifeFlight's aviation expertise, clinical governance and training capability with Linfox's logistics and operational support to provide safe, reliable and rapid care for remote and regional communities. Established in 2017 to tender for the 10-year Victoria Police contract, StarFlight provides aircraft and support services for three AW139 helicopters, maintenance workforce and engineering support, provision of pilot and tactical flight officer (TFO) training, fuel truck and management services.