Queensland Government Air hits record flight hours

During the 2023 Cairns floods, Queensland Government Air (QGAir) was responsible for carrying out air medical transfers in Cooktown, in addition to search and rescue (SAR) welfare checks at several properties, ensuring the safety of Queenslanders affected by the floods.

In response to this natural disaster, the QGAir Rotary Wing became the first operator of a Leonardo AW139 emergency medical services (EMS) helicopter in Australia to surpass 30,000 operational flight hours.

To mark this achievement, a celebration was held at the Archerfield Hangar with the Archerfield operational and engineering teams being presented with a commemorative print.

Operating within the Aviation Capability Group (ACG) of the Queensland Police Service, QGAir’s fleet serves a key role in frontline air medical, SAR, law enforcement and government capabilities throughout Queensland. 

The operator’s fleet of five helicopters is based across Archerfield, Cairns and Townsville, and provides more than 3,000 flight hours per annum and an average 2,000 patient rescues and transfers each year.

Mark Ryan, Queensland’s Minister for Police and Community Safety, commented: “In response to the devastating Cairns floods last year, QGAir’s swift response meant they were able to conduct aer medical transfers as well as SAR welfare checks, ensuring the safety of our Queensland community members.”

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.