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LifeFlight has marked what it says is another record year for patient retrievals, with activity up across both its helicopters and jets.
The aeromedical provider, which recently invested in new AW139 rescue helicopters, said it assisted 8,838 people in 2025 – up 4.2 per cent on 2024 – translating to one every 59 minutes. Its helicopter crews completed 3,857 missions, while its jet crews helped 1,014 people.
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Helicopter flying hours increased 10 per cent to 6,116, LifeFlight says, with Toowoomba the busiest rotary-wing base.
“The new AW139 helicopters, equipment and advanced training programs mean we’re able to help more Queenslanders with world-class healthcare,” said LifeFlight acting chief operating officer Pete Elliott, noting the addition of new helicopters at Mount Isa.
“Mount Isa is a prime example of the impact of this new resource, with the AW139 able to travel longer distances to reach patients across the North West and beyond that was not previously possible without refuelling.
“The advanced helicopters are a result of our 10-year service agreement with the Queensland Government, which brings us closer to our goal of bringing equity of healthcare to Queenslanders no matter where they live.”
LifeFlight’s jets, meanwhile, operated to South America last year for the first time since 2008. According to general manager – air ambulance Tyson Smith, “enhanced capability coupled with decades of medical expertise” was behind the increase in domestic and international missions.
“Our mission to Ushuaia in Argentina is a prime example of this capability. It spanned seven days and 17,040 nautical miles and resulted in the patient being safely handed over to the medical team in Melbourne for further treatment,” he said.
“We’re being tasked more because we’re a reliable and trusted solution for partners and families to get to where they need to go both within Australia and overseas.
“We can do this because we’re one of a few aeromedical providers with integrated bases across two continents, with the capability to manage concurrent high-acuity patient transfers across multiple time zones and regions.”
Smith said LifeFlight will in 2026 “further extend its reach” internationally through its Singapore base, which last year saw a “significant uptick” in missions.
“This base enables us to halve the time it takes to reach multiple destinations by providing a springboard into the northern hemisphere,” he said.
“We’ve also placed an increasing emphasis on hiring doctors and nurses in Singapore trained to Australian standards and able to collaborate with their colleagues here.
“Turning to home, our strong foundation in Queensland, underpinned by our service agreement with the Queensland Government, means we’re also well placed to expand our patient numbers in Australia, particularly from the Townsville base.”
LifeFlight will be part of Brisbane Airport’s medical precinct, set to be completed by late 2026.
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