Just some of the more acute cases the crew frequently attended to in 2019 were severe issues with the heart such as heart attacks, and neurological issues.

Our credo is to continually improve our work for the benefit of our patients

The crew also provided assistance to patients involved in traffic accidents or falls, which it was able to do quickly due to its ability to reach rescue sites within a radius of 60 km within 15 minutes of flight.

The expansion of its fleet enabled it to reach more people than ever before, as Dr Krystian Pracz, Chairman of the executive board at DRF Luftrettung, shares: “Our credo is to continually improve our work for the benefit of our patients. That is why we pushed ahead with our fleet expansion last year: in addition to three ultra-modern helicopters of the types H 135 and H 145, we also put a new Learjet 35A ambulance into operation.”

The Group also provides 24/7 lifesaving operations at 13 of its HEMS bases, making it the European leader in nighttime air rescue operations. Indeed, last year a total of 22 per cent of the deployments at these HEMS bases took place during the nighttime.