HEMS — Medical & Air Ambulance
A HEMS or air-ambulance mission is a helicopter flight that moves a patient, a medical team or medical material: an inter-hospital transfer, a repatriation leg or an organ transport. It is bought by hospitals, insurers, assistance companies and families. SkyMatch, an independent broker, takes the request to licensed operators; the operator must hold the medical approval for the mission and confirms the aircraft, medical configuration, crew and availability. This is not an emergency service: in an emergency, call local emergency services first.
Comparing aircraft for this mission? See the helicopter guide for categories, cabin and payload trade-offs. Equipment and approvals are confirmed by the operator.
Typical use cases
- Inter-hospital transfers of patients a medical team has cleared to fly
- Organ and medical-material transport
- Repatriation legs that connect with a medical jet at an airport
Compliance & crew
The operator must hold the medical (HEMS or air-ambulance) approval required in the country of operation, crew qualified for the mission, and any night or instrument-flight approval the flight needs. Medical responsibility stays with the client's medical team or the provider they appoint.
Before you request a HEMS / Air Ambulance mission
Who usually buys it
- Hospitals and clinics
- Insurers and assistance companies
- Families and private clients arranging a planned transfer
What the operator must hold or confirm
- Medical approval and qualified crew for the mission
- Aircraft and stretcher configuration for the patient and equipment
- Landing sites at both ends (a hospital helipad needs the hospital's consent)
- Weather, timing and availability
How it differs from other missions
Unlike a passenger transfer, the cabin, crew and approvals are medical. Unlike search and rescue, the patient is at a known place and the flight is planned rather than a search.
What it depends on
- A sending and a receiving medical team
- Landing permission at hospitals or airports at both ends
- Weather limits for the aircraft and the approval the operator holds
Limitations
- Not an emergency dispatch service
- Medical equipment and staffing are defined by the client's medical team, not by SkyMatch
- Availability depends on where suitably approved aircraft are based
What to include in your request
- Location(s): departure point, work site or landing area, with an address or map pin
- Dates or time window, and how flexible they are
- Aircraft category if you already know it (light single, light or medium twin, heavy)
- People and payload: number of people, weights, and size of any equipment or load
- Equipment you require for the mission, as specified by your team
- Approvals or permits you need, or already hold, for the site or the work
- Safety, insurance and document requirements you want the operator to meet
- Who approves the request and how to reach them
Read the medical helicopter transfer guide, build the brief in the mission planner, or send a request. Company missions can follow the business mission request checklist.
Frequently asked questions
Is this an emergency ambulance service?+
No. In an emergency, call local emergency services. SkyMatch arranges planned medical helicopter transfers with licensed operators, as quickly as possible and subject to operator availability.
Can the cabin be configured for intensive care?+
Medical equipment is specified by the client's medical team and must be accepted by the operator for its aircraft. SkyMatch passes the specification on; the operator confirms what can be carried.
Can a helicopter connect with a medical jet for repatriation?+
Yes, a helicopter leg can be timed with a medical jet at an airport, where the airports, the operators and the medical teams agree the handover.
Ready to launch a HEMS / Air Ambulance mission?
Share the brief: SkyMatch structures it and takes it to licensed operators, who confirm the aircraft, approvals, price and availability.
Prepared by the SkyMatch editorial team · How we source and review · Method
Share this article