Kazakhstan to acquire emergency air fleet

Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Emergency Situations – a government department that oversees emergency services and disaster response in the country – is looking to acquire an air fleet.

The Ministry discussed the possibility of forming a ‘special purpose’ air fleet at a meeting on 15 January.

As well as its own representatives, the meeting was attended by officials from other government departments (Defense, Health, Industry and Construction, Transport, Finance) as well as a number of organizations from across Kazakhstan’s aviation and medical sectors.

This included representatives from the Aviation Administration of Kazakhstan, the Academy of Civil Aviation, the National Coordination Center for Emergency Medicine, Kazaeronavigation, the Association of Civil Aviation of Kazakhstan, the Kazakhstan Association of Small Aircraft, the Aviation Training Center, as well as the Euro-Asia Air and Kazaviaspas airlines.

A “Canadian” style of emergency air response

In a press release published by Kazaviaspas about the meeting, the airline stated that the government is looking to implement a “Canadian model” of emergency aviation, on the basis of Kazakhstan’s “similar geographical and climatic conditions”.

The statement noted that in Canada, “a significant number of special-purpose flights” are conducted by “small or ultra-light” fixed-wing aircraft. These aircraft have a “capacity for up to 19 people, a maximum takeoff weight of no more than 5.7 tons, a low cost of acquisition,” as well as a “short takeoff and landing” capability.

The meeting considered the potential benefits and downsides to the use of standard passenger, air medical, cargo, and amphibious configurations for emergency purposes.

The global air ambulance services market is expected to surpass $47.1 billion by 2032.