Portugal's Perfect Aviation will initially operate the Saudi Red Crescent Authority's new A318 which is being brought into operation as a key part of a major expansion of the SRCA's air support capabilities. "At present, the expansion targets about 35 aircraft in total, fixed-wing and helicopters," says SRCA ceo Dr Mowaffag Albayouk.

"The A318 will serve in a medevac role, including the transport of injured persons to hospitals, both within Saudi Arabia and elsewhere in the Middle East.

He adds: "Our A318 will be able to carry more passengers than traditional corporate jets and the larger space that its cabin provides will also make it easier for doctors and nurses to attend to patients. The superior underfloor cargo capacity will allow the SRCA to carry relief equipment and first-aid supplies to disaster areas."

All of the SRCA's air fleet will be designed and commissioned with multi-role capabilities, he says. "Medevac and relief transport is obviously the main objective, but some of our larger aircraft, such as the A318, will have other capabilities, such as serving as airborne command centres during crisis scenarios, rapid transport of senior EMS personnel to and from incident sites, and non-emergency air transport of critically ill patients."

With flexible interior configur-ations which can quickly and efficiently be adapted to suit specific mission requirements, larger aircraft such as the A318 will also retain their conventional configurations, allowing the SRCA to offer them on charter arrangements.

"The goal is to maximise the utility of the fleet and reduce operational overheads, while also generating external funds to benefit the full scope of SRCA's humanitarian activities," Albayouk adds.