Both emergency medical transports were carried out by Falcon 50 aircraft of the 31st Wing.
The Air Force carried out two life-saving flights on Wednesday 28 August 2024, to assist two people in need of immediate medical care.
In both instances, Falcon 50 aircraft and crews from the 31st Wing of Ciampino, one of the Air Force's flying units employed all year round, 24 hours a day, on these kinds of missions, were used.
In the first case, an 18-day-old newborn, in imminent danger of death, was transported from Cagliari-Elmas Airport to Rome-Ciampino Airport for subsequent admission to the “Gemelli” Polyclinic.
Following a request from the Prefecture of Cagliari and with the coordination of the Summit Situations Room of the Air Squad Command, the operational room competent in such cases, the crew on operational readiness took off, with extremely short notice, from Ciampino airport, bound for Cagliari to embark the child, who was travelling from the Monserrato “Duilio Casula” University Polyclinic, along with her parents, a doctor, and a nurse.
Departing from Cagliari at 12:10, the aircraft landed after an hour at Rome-Ciampino.
On the second mission of the day, however, a 43-year-old man, admitted to the S. Martino hospital in Oristano and in need of specialist care for a serious neurological problem, was transported from Cagliari to Bologna at the request of the prefecture of Oristano, for admission to the Montecatone Rehabilitation Institute hospital in Imola (Bo). During the flight, the man was accompanied by his wife and assisted by a medical team.
The plane, which took off from Cagliari-Elmas at 3:00 PM, landed at the “G. Marconi” airport in Bologna at 4:05 PM.
Crews and transport aircraft of the Air Force are ready every day, 24 hours a day, to ensure the medical transport of people in imminent danger of death, organs or medical teams, or, as in this case, people needing transfer to specialised treatment centres within the country, at the request of the competent authorities when deemed necessary due to urgency.
Hundreds of flight hours are carried out each year for these types of operations, supporting citizens, by aircraft of the 31st Wing of Ciampino, the 14th Wing of Pratica di Mare, and the 46th Air Brigade of Pisa. In the event of specific operational needs, furthermore, the Air Force also employs helicopters from the 15th Wing of Cervia and dependent centres.
