New helipad for Thursday Island

Queensland Health has opened a new helipad at the Thursday Island Hospital in the Torres Strait, replacing the old pad which had been found to be unsuitable.

“The new helicopter landing site is better positioned and sized to suit the larger helicopters commonly employed today,” Australian Helicopters CEO Neil Shea said in a statement. “This means we are able to use our dedicated Bell 412 helicopter to service the region and upgrade to even more capable aircraft in the future.”

The new 620 sqm pad has a capacity of 7.6 tonnes, and will cater for Australian Helicopters’ quick response teams tasked with transporting patients from the northern Cape York Peninsula and Torres Strait regions.