Air Ambulance Planes

Air Ambulance Stats Block

Your Air Ambulance Planes

Transferring critically ill and injured patients across New Zealand, thanks to you.

Provides 24/7 emergency medical service
Charges $0 to patients
Flies 22 patients a week

Your crew

The crew

Flying 24/7 thanks to your generous donations.

Pilot

In addition to meticulously managing every flight detail, our dedicated pilots prioritize the safety and comfort of patients. This commitment extends to providing extra-soft landings for patients with spinal injuries and maintaining stable air pressure for those with brain injuries. Our pilots are provided by AirFreight New Zealand.

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Crewperson

You may find the crewperson managing communications, equipment, loading and unloading patients, and helping with patient care in the air. The crew are essential to ensuring the best outcomes for our patients.

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Flight doctor / nurse

The flight nurses and doctors from Health NZ require specialist aero-medical training - to be a member of this team requires significant skill and experience. They ensure patients receive the highest level of care from bed to bed.

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Missions

Common Mission Types

Transferring high-acuity patients between hospitals to receive urgent care.
Flying hundreds of premature babies, some weighing as little as 500g to neonatal intensive care units (NICU).
Returning patients home to their whānau, to continue treatment, at the end of treatment, or so they can spend their final days with loved ones.

Why we fly

Why we fly

Donations ensure this amazing service is here, without it, Taylor wouldn’t be alive. Thank you to everyone – you are saving lives and we are so grateful.

Taylor's mum

How it works

How it works: from phone call to wings up

Step 1-3

The phone rings
A patient at Wellington Hospital needs lifesaving surgery in Auckland

The Aircraft is readied
Essential equipment is loaded and pilots conduct pre-flight checks

Patient transferred
The crewperson drives the patient and flight nurse to the awaiting plane at the Life Flight Airbase, Wellington Airport

Step 4-5

Stretcher loaded
The patient is safely loaded aboard the aircraft using an automated loading arm

Take off
Less than 45 minutes after the call, the patient, pilots, crewperson and nurse are airborne and speeding toward lifesaving care

Equipment onboard

Lifesaving equipment, made possible thanks to generous people like you.

Patient Transfer Vehicle

$69,000

To transfer patients from the Hospital to the waiting aircraft, for a smooth and efficient journey. It has been modified to fit our patients' needs, capable of powering heavy equipment like newborn incubators, and equipped with a built-in stretcher rail for smooth loading and unloading.
Ferno INX Power Stretcher

$36,132

This stretcher is a game-changer for patient transfers. It's easy to maneuver so patients are smoothly and safely transported in and out of the aircraft and it has fully automated controls that avoid the crew needing to manually lift patients. With the press of a button, the battery-powered stretcher can lift, lower, load and unload.
Ventilator

$38,320

The intensive-care ventilator helps patients breathe when they cannot do so themselves.
Zoll monitor

$42,000

Continuously monitors a patient's heart rhythm and can provide shocks if necessary to restore a regular heartbeat. Most patients are attached to the Zoll Monitor and their vitals are tracked throughout the flight.
Pedi Mate

$460

The Pedi Mate is a stretcher attachment that enables us to safely transport children aged 1.5 months to 5 years. Rather than having an alternative stretcher for our smaller patients, this attachment keeps them secure and safe while being transported. Best suited for weights between 4.5 Kg to 18 Kg.
Oxygen Saturation Monitor

$796

This portable device measures how much oxygen is carried through the patient's blood. Various disease states like heart failure, chronic lung disease, or sleep apnea can lower a patient's oxygen levels and will then require supplemental oxygen during the flight.
Incubator

$Provided by Hospital

The tiniest patients fly in the incubator provided by Wellington NICU to and from specialist care around the country. Babies as young as 24 weeks and a few hundred grams are placed in the incubator for safe passage.
Medical Bags

$Provided by Hospital

The medical teams have go-bags that relate to the severity of the patients' condition. This includes Full Intensive Care, Paediatric, Neonatal Intensive Care and Maternity.

Read more about Funding

Funding

Without the generous support of the community, Life Flight simply wouldn't be here today. Life Flight is a not-for-profit that relies on community donations to keep flying. Thank you for your generosity - it truly saves lives.

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Read more about Missions overview

Missions overview

Discover Life Flight's crucial aeromedical missions in New Zealand, providing critical care and transportation with Westpac Rescue Helicopter and Air Ambulance Planes. Explore FY24 highlights, fleet details, and diverse mission types. Support our life-saving efforts today.

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Read more about Meet Pip from Feilding

Meet Pip from Feilding

Thanks to your support, Pip was able to recover from a brain aneurysm, a condition that has a 60% survival rate.

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Life Flight