Brisbane Airport air medical hub reaches halfway milestone
The purpose-built facility will bring multiple air medical operators together, with capacity for 26 aircraft and dedicated patient transfer infrastructure
Construction of a new A$217 million (US$155 million) air medical hub at Brisbane Airport has reached the halfway point, with the facility expected to become operational in 2027.
The Aeromedical Precinct will bring together the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS), LifeFlight, Retrieval Services Queensland (RSQ), and the Queensland Police Service Aviation Capability Group at a single site supporting emergency response and patient transport across the state.
Located between Brisbane Airport’s two parallel runways, the facility has been designed to provide rapid airfield access for air medical aircraft operating around the clock. A purpose-built patient transfer center will also support transfers between fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft, road ambulances, and onward hospital care.
The precinct will have capacity for 26 aircraft, alongside 17,800m² of apron parking and 18,700m² of hangar and administration facilities. It will also include a medical base supporting regional patient and donor transfers.
The scale of existing air medical activity through Brisbane illustrates the role the new facility is expected to play in Queensland’s retrieval network. In the year to June 2026, RFDS transported 7,207 patients to and from Brisbane Airport from 60 regional, rural, and remote communities, according to airport figures. Brisbane-based LifeFlight helicopter crews assisted 603 people during the same period, while its jet crews supported a further 405.
Brisbane Airport CEO Gert-Jan de Graaff said: “In a state as vast as Queensland, aeromedical services play a vital role in keeping communities connected to healthcare, regardless of where they live.”
Queensland is investing A$430 million in operational costs for the precinct over the next two decades, while Brisbane Airport is delivering the construction project. Once operational, the co-located facility is intended to strengthen coordination between Queensland’s air medical providers and streamline the movement of patients between aircraft, ambulances, and hospital services.
Image courtesy of Brisbane Airport.
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