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13 June 2023

What is an International Air Ambulance and what does it do?

An international air ambulance is a specially adapted aircraft, used to transport sick and injured patients from one country to another for urgent medical treatment.

International air ambulances have to be in the air for many hours at a time, flying often critically ill patients from the Middle East, USA, South America, Africa, Asia and other international destinations. At IAS Medical, our fleet of air ambulances includes Chieftain, Cheyenne, King Air 200 and Lear Jet 35 and 55 aircraft – the latter being intensive-care vessels used for worldwide flights. From the outside they resemble executive jets, but inside they become flying hospital units, fitted with the latest state-of-the-art monitoring and intensive care equipment. With a crew of two pilots, plus qualified, aero-medically trained doctors and nurses or paramedics, our jets are configured to address all patient needs, including high dependency, paediatric and neonatal patients. All ambulances in the fleet comply with the guidelines for the transfer of critically ill patients, as set by the ICS (Intensive Care Society.)

An international air ambulance can carry a lot of supplies, which must be replenished immediately after every intensive care flight. As with rapid response vehicles on the ground, the crew must always be ready for the next emergency. Equally important is the transfer between hospital and aircraft, and between the aircraft and the admission hospital. We at IAS Medical offer a full bed-to-bed service, inclusive of pre-flight clearance, ground ambulance transfers and hospital admission – all of which is arranged by a medical co-ordinator before departure.

Another important element is the retrieval of patient medical documents. An international air ambulance can often have to transfer patients from non-English speaking areas such as the UAE, where medical notes may be written in Arabic. Here at IAS Medical we have a duty of care to our patients which extends to translation of medical notes. This is one of the most challenging aspects of medical repatriation – but one of the most essential.

How is this calculated?

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Overview

If you need to arrange medical transport, the last thing you should be worrying about is money, so here at IAS Medical we offer all-inclusive prices to help you understand exactly what to expect. The cost of an air ambulance will depend on your individual circumstances, with prices depending on the following factors:

  • The patient’s location and the distance they need to travel
  • The type of aircraft needed
  • The number of medical staff required
  • The airport landing fees
  • The journey required by ground ambulance

The cost of medical crew

The overall cost of booking an air ambulance depends on various factors, including the number of medical staff required and the expertise needed to support the patient’s medical needs.

As an indication of how this affects the overall cost of an air ambulance, the cost of recruiting medical experts is as follows:

  • Flight Surgeons: £700 per day
  • Doctors: £700 per day
  • Nurses: £350 per day
  • Paramedics: £350 per day

The cost of our aircraft

Prices will depend on the type of aircraft you need to book, according to the clinical needs of the patient, the size of aircraft required and the equipment needed on board. Prices will also vary depending on how many people would like to accompany the patient on their journey, although this may not be possible depending on the patient’s medical condition.

For non-serious cases, there is often a choice of aircraft, in which case we will use the most cost-effective aircraft available.

The cost of airport landing fees

All airports charge landing and aircraft handling fees, which will impact on the overall cost of your medical transport. There may also be extension fees to keep the airport open, as well as aircraft de-icing fees.

We provide air ambulances from major airports right across the world, so we can get as close as possible to the patient’s hospital ward. We then use an RAF airport for flights into London, which helps to keep air ambulance costs as manageable as possible.

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