Air Zermatt introduces 24-hour on-call service at Gampel Heliport in the Swiss Alps
From 4 February 2022, Air Zermatt will be on 24-hour standby with a rescue team at Gampel Heliport. When an emergency call is received, helicopter, pilot, paramedics and the emergency doctor are now ready for an even faster scramble, day and night. This measure shortens the reaction time of a rescue team at night by up to 20 minutes.
The number of village doctors who can also be called out to an emergency during the night is steadily decreasing. Air Zermatt is committed to filling this gap in medical care in the Valais and provides a rescue crew around the clock from its base at Gampel.
Air Zermatt did not choose the Gampel location by chance. This base is fully equipped as a rescue station and is centrally located in the Upper Valais in southern Switzerland. Together with the Air-Glaciers base at Sion airport, the two helicopter operators now cover the entire Valais at night with at least two rescue teams.
In order to guarantee the 24-hour service, Air Zermatt invested more than half a million Swiss francs in the necessary infrastructure at the base in Gampel and recruited additional personnel.
At the base in Zermatt, the location of the rescue crew remains the same as before. Here, Air Zermatt guarantees the launch of a rescue helicopter within 35 minutes at night. In the high season, the crew remains with their helicopter 24 hours a day to ensure a rapid take-off in an emergency – valuable time that can save lives.