Compared to fiscal year 2023, aeromedical operator LifeFlight’s helicopter flying hours climbed 25% to 5,159 hours, boosting the number of people aided by its rotary-wing operation to 5,313, up 131%. The Queensland-based not-for-profit company’s total number of people helped reached 8,177 in fiscal year 2024, up 11%.
LifeFlight operates a fleet of 11 helicopters, and their crews flew 3,378 missions in the past fiscal year. Missions in the Asia-Pacific region are done with a fleet of four Bombardier Challenger 604s. The helicopters include seven Leonardo AW139s, three Bell 412s, and one Airbus/Kawasaki BK117. The fleet operates from eight bases in Queensland and Singapore.
According to LifeFlight COO Lee Schofield, each week LifeFlight helped an average of 157 patients, or one every 64 minutes. Animal-related injury flights accounted for 158 missions, search-and-rescue 59, and motor vehicle accidents 710 (up 156%). “The numbers keep rising each year,” he said, “which shows how crucial LifeFlight’s aeromedical service is, reaching far and wide across our state, and helping thousands of people.”