Operator Spotlight: European Air Ambulance

Tom Hienckes, Business Development Manager

Air Charter Guide recently spoke with Tom Hienckes of European Air Ambulance, one of Europe’s largest specialized air ambulance services, offering dedicated and cost-effective emergency medical repatriation 24/7/365 worldwide.

1) How do you guide a customer through the process of booking an ambulance aircraft?

With over three decades of experience, the European Air Ambulance (EAA) is a trusted service provider for many insurance and assistance companies, governments, NGOs, corporations, brokers, and individuals. Our multilingual Operations Center at our home base in Luxembourg is covered 24/7 by experienced dispatchers and medical regulators who guide our customers through the process of booking an air ambulance flight. It is essential to have as much information as possible to plan and perform a seamless air ambulance flight. A detailed medical report is crucial for our medical teams to assess whether the patient is fit to fly or not. The releasing and accepting hospital contact details and ground ambulance logistics are also required before starting a mission. A great deal of care, clear communication, adaptability, flexibility, and empathy are required to carry out a successful air ambulance flight.

2) How would you describe your fleet?

The European Air Ambulance currently operates four aircraft: three Bombardier Learjet 45XR and one Bombardier Challenger 605. All are equipped exclusively for air ambulance flights, with the ability to fly critical, pediatric, neonatal, or bariatric patients, for example. The four aircraft are based at our headquarters at Luxembourg Airport. The Learjets are mainly used for air ambulance flights within Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. The Bombardier Challenger 605 was purchased and started operations at the end of 2021 to further improve our medical quality and operational reliability. All our air ambulance flights are staffed by experienced medical crews, consisting of at least one doctor and one flight nurse.

3) What does the future look like for your company?

EAA's parent company, the Luxembourg Air Rescue Group, has recently developed a strategic roadmap with clear objectives. We firmly believe that this will enable EAA to remain one of the leading providers of air medical repatriation services. We will be significantly expanding the capabilities of our in-house Aviation and Medical Training Academy to broaden the range of services we offer to external customers. Our first Bombardier Challenger 605 is performing beyond our expectations, and we are keen to expand our capabilities in the long-haul market. We continue to invest in specialized equipment for critical care, infectious disease, and neonatal care. The digitization of our operations departments is underway and the implementation of new maintenance software to support our fleet has recently been completed. We are now focusing our efforts on the digitization of our flight operations activities. This will be accompanied by a re-evaluation of our internal and external processes to increase our efficiency. 

4) How did you get into aviation?

I have always been interested in the operational and commercial aspects of aviation. I had several student jobs with various aviation companies and after this experience I knew that I wanted to pursue further studies in aviation. After my studies, I started working for a private jet company in the charter sales and aircraft management department. After 10 years I was looking for a new challenge and joined European Air Ambulance as Business Development Manager.

5) What is your most popular itinerary/destination?

As an air ambulance provider, we fly wherever there is a need to get patients home safely. Generally speaking, and without considering the disruption caused by COVID, destinations such as the Canary Islands and Egypt are very popular in winter, but destinations such as Capo Verde and Senegal are becoming more popular. Skiing destinations in the Alps are always popular in winter. In the summer, our Learjet 45XR fleet operates mainly in the Mediterranean. The Challenger 605 is mainly used for long-haul ambulance flights: North America, the Caribbean and Africa have been very popular recently.

6) What other services do you offer?

In addition to air ambulance services, we also perform organ flights. If required, our aircraft can be airborne in less than 2 hours after confirmation. We coordinate the transport of the surgical teams as well as the organs, ensuring a fast and efficient journey from donor to recipient, knowing that some organs can only be preserved for a very short time. Throughout the year, we handle around 800 organ transport cases. We also participate in various humanitarian missions around the world. In addition, EAA's parent company, Luxembourg Air Rescue, operates 6 air rescue helicopters for local emergency services in Luxembourg and Germany.

7) Contact info:

European Air Ambulance
24/7 Operations:
Email: alert@air-ambulance.com
Tel: +352 26 26 00
Website:  www.air-ambulance.com