Queensland Government Air (QGAir) is celebrating a significant, world-first, milestone in Emergency Medical Services (EMS), with one of its Townsville helicopters becoming the first in the world to surpass 10,000 flight hours dedicated to saving lives.
The AW139 aircraft reached its 10,000 flight hours while performing a medical evacuation out of a mine site near the aircraft's base hometown on Sunday, December 1.
The achievement underpins QGAir's critical role in caring for the health and well-being of Queenslanders by delivering essential front-line aviation services, contributing to medical evacuations, disaster relief, search and rescues missions and other vital emergency responses.
QGAir's AW139 fleet is an integral part of the Queensland Police Service's (QPS) Aviation Capability Group (ACG), providing frontline services across the state alongside PolAir, including aeromedical services, search and rescue operations, law enforcement and other government aviation capabilities.
QGAir, Australia's first and most experienced EMS operator, began its operation in 1981 and now operates out of bases in Brisbane, Cairns and Townsville conducting more than 2000 jobs per year.
In 2008, QGAir was the first to introduce AW139 helicopters to Australia and incorporate them into the service's capability and more recently, QGAir reached another landmark milestone of 30,000 total fleet hours across its five AW139 aircraft.
Aviation Capability Group Chief Superintendent Marcus Hill acknowledged the important role these aircrafts play in protecting the welfare of Queenslanders.
"10,000 hours is more than an entire year of dedicated time in the air, which is a remarkable amount of time for one aircraft," Chief Superintendent Hill said.
"As we celebrate the achievement of the aircraft itself, it is also essential we recognise that every flight has a team of dedicated, hardworking professionals who commit their careers to the safety of Queenslanders.
"Congratulations to QGAir for this milestone, and all of the dedicated frontline emergency services personnel who continue to ensure these feats are possible."
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