CEGA Air Ambulance reports it has comfortably weathered the global economic downturn and expects to increase business in 2010. Mark Ponsford, the UK company's general manager aviation, says: "Considering the number of tourists travelling on holiday in 2009 was significantly down we were expecting to see a drop in air ambulance flying hours. However it was a good year for CEGA because we flew the same number of hours as in 2008. In 2010 we are forecasting a further increase in flying hours for our three King Airs as we increase our client base and collect new contracts."

CEGA Group won the ITIJ awards for both 'assistance/claims handler of the year' and 'air ambulance provider of the year' at a ceremony in Athens. "This was the first time in the 17 year history of the awards that one provider has achieved first place in two different categories," says Rob Upton, CEGA director of sales and marketing.

"The key to CEGA's success was its effective implementation of a range of business development initiatives over the last 12 months. These included rigorous staff training regimes to keep CEGA at the forefront of aero medical expertise, as well as performance enhancing fleet upgrades; enabling air ambulances to gain faster proximity to patients and minimising the length of road transfers."

Ponsford says CEGA has operated its own fleet of aircraft, pilots, medical crews and equipment for more than 30 years all providing the very best of patient care and customer service to individuals.