Babcock Italia reports 5,445 nighttime air medical missions during the first ten months of 2021

Babcock International has reported that its Italian air ambulance division has carried out 5,445 night missions in the first ten months of 2021.

This includes 2,737 missions involving the use of night vision goggles (NVG), a technology that Babcock says has increased in use by 75 per cent over the past five years to become ‘a critical part’ of its operational capability.

Babcock is the largest helicopter rescue provider in Italy, managing a fleet of 52 helicopters with 270 pilots. The company also manages over 60 per cent of helicopter bases in the country.

The introduction of NVG technology has brought significant improvements to the quality of Italy’s nighttime air medical services, alongside changes to Italian flight regulations that removed a requirement for pilots to land at certified landing sites, as well as the introduction of new high-intensity helicopter headlights.

According to Giuseppe Spoliti, CEO of Babcock Italia: “The ability to use the helicopter, even at night, is of vital importance to reduce intervention times against many diseases and traumas, where a few minutes can change lives, allowing immediate intervention and transport.

Babcock’s Chief Innovation and Technology Officer, Jon Hall added: “Of course, the innovation isn’t just in that technology, it’s in the extensive skills of our people who put the safety of others first every day, and for Babcock it’s about making that technology work for us, to create a safer, more secure world for all of us to live in.”