German aviation-services provider FAI’s air ambulance division has been operating at maximum capacity to meet the high number of requests for repatriation and medevac flights.
Since March the company has performed almost 70 flights of Covid-19 patients in 47 countries with the single patient isolation and transport system EpiShuttle.
FAI has logged more than 10,000 hours this year flying air ambulance missions. In the month of April FAI did nearly 800 hours of flying on mostly medevac missions. The company’s air ambulance division has transported patients using the EpiShuttle in 47 countries, including difficult destinations in Iraq, China and South Sudan.
So far this year medical flights have been to 69 airports all over the world with the EpiShuttle. The EpiShuttle enables the easier transport of Covid-19 patients by air. The EpiShuttle is especially useful when transporting contagious patients by air and the crew is unable to wear personal protection equipment.
Map of locations visited by FAI for Covid-19 medical flights this year
Volker Lemke, head of FAI´s Air Ambulance Division said, “I am immensely proud of the way FAI Air Ambulance and our talented team of professionals responded to the immense challenges of the pandemic.
“We have collaborated with EpiGuard in on further development in safe isolation and transport. Our investments in the EpiShuttle has increased our efficiency in Covid-19 transport and we have had flights with CBRN patients with the EpiShuttle as well.”
Norwegian company EpiGuard developed the EpiShuttle based on experiences from previous pandemics to protect staff and care for patients, while reducing costs and increasing operational efficiency.
“Collaborating with a professional partner as FAI gives us firsthand information on the use of the EpiShuttle as well as insight to practicalities you only experience in the field of duty,” said Ellen Cathrine Andersen, CEO in EpiGuard.
The impact of the covid-19 pandemic on the aviation sector is enormous and the industry has been to massive changes the last few months. FAI is now nominated as the Air Ambulance Company of the Year category in this year’s International Travel & Health Insurance Journal´s (ITIJ) Industry Awards.
Read more about how business aviation has acted to fill the need for medical flights during the pandemic in this month’s issue of Business Airport International magazine.
