Officially formed in 1975, the Victorian Police Air Wing is the aviation unit of the Victoria Police. Operating a fleet of aircraft, the Police Air Wing provides State-wide services including crime prevention and detection, search and rescue and operation activities.

In 2020 the Air Wing replaced its fleet of Dauphin helicopters with 3 new Leonardo AW139 helicopters, outfitted with advanced mission consoles, cameras and rescue hoists.  The force also introduced a Beechcraft Super King Air aeroplane to the fleet for the first time, to assist with long range surveillance activity.

Synonymous with its roots in the Queensland outback, the Victorian Section of The Royal Flying Doctor Service was first to be formed, and has been based at Essendon Fields for more than 20 years. Today, EF Airport is the central hub for the Flying Doctor’s aeromedical service, and connects its road patient transport to 22 bases located throughout Victoria, New South Wales, and Tasmania.

Each year RFDS Victoria provides over 90,000 patients with primary health care services and transports by air or road. In 2020 the RFDS moved into a newly refurbished WWII hangar at EF Airport, where they continue to partner with organisations across the State to improve the health and well-being of our regional communities.

Air Ambulance paramedics are specially trained to perform advanced treatments in challenging environments. Two Leonardo HEMS (Helicopter Emergency Medical Service) and four custom-designed Beechcraft King Air B-200C planes operate from Essendon Fields, and the base is an important link for three other regional HEMS aircraft based in the Latrobe Valley, Bendigo and Warrnambool.

Most helicopter callouts are for life-threatening emergencies, which are mainly trauma and paediatric cases, while the fixed wing aircraft are used in emergencies and for the routine transport of non-emergency patients, requiring important treatments such as chemo and radiotherapy.

From their EF Airport home base, Air Ambulance services extend over 700,000 square kms, and nationally the airport provides a central point for patient transfer and refuelling services.

Aeromedical evacuations and Medevac operations, which include the emergency and non-emergency transport of patients by fixed wing aircraft, are undertaken by private operators at our airport. JetCity, Platinum Aviation and ExecuJet are three providers of these unique services and work in conjunction with specialised medical rescue staff. Past rescues have seen patients transported to Melbourne from catastrophic disasters such as the New Zealand White Island eruption in 2019 and assistance with the transportation arrangements for victims of the 2020 bush fires in NSW.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) operates Bombardier Challenger 604 jet aircraft which are specifically modified and operated under contract by Leidos Australia. AMSA also operates aircraft from Cairns and Perth and is responsible for national maritime and aviation search and rescue across a region covering approximately one-tenth of the Earth’s surface.

These aircraft are available for search and rescue tasking at short notice, 24 hours a day seven days a week.

During the summer months of December through to March, Essendon Fields Airport is heavily utilised as an operating base for firefighting and information gathering aircraft.

Kestrel Aviation is the latest to use Essendon Fields as a base, operating three rotary aircraft; a Eurocopter AS322L Super Puma Helitack 349, a new Aircrane – Helitack 341 “Isabelle”, and Firebird 308. An Infra Red Firescan 126 fixed-wing aircraft will also call Essendon Fields home. The aircraft are part of the state’s 51-strong firefighting fleet.