Italy's Lombardi Air Ambulance is opening bases in North Africa and Eastern Europe as it expands the scope of its business. The company says: "We are implementing new international governmental and institutional collaborations as well as partnerships with leading global insurance groups."

The company was launched in 2007 after Capt. Carlo Gioia spotted a demand for a structured organisation that could address the technical and human issues involved in aeromedical transport. "We operate a fleet of intensive care unit configured aircraft able to reach any destination and have benefited from an extraordinary growth in 2009 of more than 300 per cent," the company says.