Construction begins on air medical precinct in Brisbane

Brisbane Airport’s new state-of-the-art project, delivered in partnership with the Queensland Government, will enhance emergency response capabilities across the Australian state. 

Located between Brisbane Airport’s parallel runways, the new air medical precinct will be home to aircraft and resources for the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS), LifeFlight, Retrieval Services Queensland and Queensland Police Service Aviation Capability Group.

The A$217 million air medical precinct will have capacity for 26 aircraft and include 18,700 square meters of hangar and headquarters space, along with 17,800 square meters of tarmac parking. The precinct will provide parking for 450 staff. 

Brisbane Airport CEO Gert-Jan de Graaff commented: “Around 18 patients are flown in and out of Brisbane Airport every day. Those transfers between aircraft and ambulance will now take place inside a patient transfer hub at the core of the aeromedical precinct.

“Currently RFDS, LifeFlight and other emergency agencies are spread across Brisbane Airport, kilometers apart. The aeromedical precinct will bring them together in one location, centrally located between our two runways so they can quickly get into the air. Not only will these lifesavers work together, but they’ll also learn from each other.”

The facility will integrate and collate patient air medical retrieval and transport, clinical and logistical coordination, including state-wide telehealth clinical and educational support for rural and remote hospitals.

The precinct will also feature hangars for fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft, administration areas, and a medical base for regional patient and donor transfers. 

The development will be targeting 5 Star Green Star accreditation and includes a 400kW solar system. A café will provide staff in this growing precinct of the airport with a convenient place to recharge. ADCO Constructions is aiming for the completion of the air medical precinct in December 2026 with 150 people employed onsite during the construction phase of the project, and more than 400 people working here once it is open.

Last year, LifeFlight Australia announced that the Queensland Government would be investing an additional A$586.1 million into the air medical service over the next decade.