The Victorian Air Ambulance fleet welcomes new equipment to provide care to ailing Victorians. Photo: Ambulance Victoria.
The Victorian Ambulance Service has added four new “ultra-modern” aircraft to its fleet of lifesaving transport.
The fleet, which the Victorian Government claims is the most innovative in the country, serves as a link between the state’s rural and urban areas.
“Emergency care in Victoria is soaring to new heights, with our four new high-tech planes making our fleet the most innovative in Australia and helping our paramedics do what they do best – save lives,” Minister for Ambulance Services Mary-Anne Thomas said.
Two new Beechcraft King Air 260s and two King Air 360s have joined the fleet’s five helicopters, which responded to 5355 Victorians in 2023/24 alone.
These new additions are part of a $345 million partnership with Toll Aviation.
The aircraft are fitted with new tech – including an advanced mechanical stretcher loader – to reduce transfer times by up to 20 minutes in an effort to save lives.
With a max range of 3185 km and a top speed of 574 km/h, the planes are far faster than the helicopters and can reach anywhere in the state and other states, such as NSW and Tasmania, where air ambulances are sometimes sent.
The aircraft will run on a rotational schedule, with two flying 24/7, an additional aircraft flying for 16 hours a day, five days a week and the fourth aircraft acting as a support plane ensuring availability while other planes undergo maintenance.
The Air Ambulance service has been a component of Victoria’s response infrastructure for 60 years, created with the aim of providing health care to rural communities, which often require specialist care such as trauma, intensive care and cardiac care not available in rural hospitals.
The service also gives rural patients access to non-emergency care such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery.
“Our Essendon Airport-based Air Ambulance fleet delivers exceptional care for patients right across Victoria, with the innovative technology in these new planes making a real difference for some of our sickest Victorians,” Deputy Premier and Member for Niddrie Ben Carroll said.
The new equipment is part of a broader investment in the ambulance services in the state, with more than $2 billion invested to double the on-road workforce and create new ambulance stations.
