Norway supports Turkey medevac efforts
C-130J Hercules fixed-wing transport aircraft dispatched by Norway to Turkey, to aid earthquake rescue mission
The aircraft was offered by Norway via NATO’s Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre (EADRCC) mechanism, in close cooperation with Turkish authorities.
The plane is being used to transport emergency aid, and evacuate victims from areas affected by the earthquakes on 6 February, to areas of Turkey with better-equipped medical facilities.
It flew its first medical evacuation mission on 13 February 2023, with 28 patients evacuated via Adana Airport to hospitals in Ankara.
It’s being operated alongside similar aircraft supplied by other NATO nations, including the Netherlands and UK, in response to Turkey’s request for international assistance.
Norway is a regular respondent to requests for medical evacuation support. The country provided a Cessna C680A Latitude via the European Union’s Civil Protection Mechanism to support the evacuation of chronically ill Ukrainian refugees last year.
Oliver Cuenca
Oliver Cuenca is a Junior Editor at AirMed&Rescue. He was previously a News and Features Journalist for the rail magazine IRJ until 2021, and studied MA Magazine Journalism at Cardiff University. His favourite helicopter is the AW169 – the workhorse of the UK air ambulance sector! He also led the creation of Waypoint: The AirMed&Rescue podcast, serving as its Production Editor and co-host.