Medi Rescue Operations at EF
Platinum Business Aviation Centre, based here at Essendon Fields Airport, facilitates VIP ground handling for private corporate jet clients. The private flights operate within the airport’s non curfew times on any given day.
From time to time Platinum provides ground handling assistance to special medical emergency flights known as MEDIVAC or MED ONE.
These flights can operate at Essendon Fields 24/7 and have priority clearances by Air Traffic Control to land and take off without any disruption.
Their mission is no different to an air ambulance whereby they transfer seriously ill or injured patients supported by a professional medical team on-board the aircraft.
These patients require specialised hospital care or treatment at their next destination. The medivac flight may even transport human organs.
The cargo is accompanied by a medical team and a police escort to help transit to or from hospital efficiently.
Platinum’s regular visiting medivac clients are CAREFLIGHT based in Darwin operating Beechjet400’s and GLOBAL JET INTERNATIONAL operating the Falcon 50.
The Falcon50 was recently involved in a medivac international flight from Suva Fiji direct to Essendon Fields, arriving in the early morning hours at 3am.
FBO staff met the aircraft upon arrival and arranged the necessary services for the patient and her husband. This included:
- Customs and Quarantine attendance for the Off Terminal Clearance,
- Ambulance access to/from the aircraft,
- MED Team transferred the patient onto a stretcher
- Arranged transport for the patient’s husband to get him to the hospital where his wife was undergoing medical treatment
- Hotel bookings for the crew to rest and arrange transport to get them there.
“Medical rescue and retrieval work is rewarding and worthwhile that we’re proud to be involved in. Knowing we’re playing a small part in saving a life is an incredible feeling”, said Allan Zajac, Manager, Platinum Business Aviation Centre.