Aeromedical charity CareFlight this week commissioned a new Gulfstream G150 jet to be based in Darwin.
The jet was selected to deliver CareFlight’s inter-hospital aeromedical jet evacuation service based in Darwin on behalf of the Northern Territory government, and has the capability to transport critically ill patients directly across the continent and from South-east Asia.
“The interstate aeromedical route across Australia from Darwin is one of the longest regular aeromedical routes flown in the world," said CareFlight NT General Manager Philip Roberts. "The jet for this service needs to be extremely fast and efficient to deliver direct non-stop services for critical patients to all major Australian capital cities.
“With a flight speed of more than 1000 kilometres per hour and a range of more than 5300 kilometres, the G150 can fly significantly longer distances at a much faster speed compared to any other option available in Australia today."
The Gulfstream will be able to fly to Sydney and Melbourne from Darwin in 3.7 hours and Adelaide and Perth in 3.2 hours. Internationally, it can reach Hong Kong in 4.2 hours, Bali in 1.7 hours and East Timor in 1 hour.
CareFlight also added an Airbus H145 to their fleet in February, continuing the charity's efforts to provide first-class aeromedical services right across the country. Both the medevac G150 and H145 are the first of their kind operating in Australia.