Today, an urgent medical transport took place from Palermo to Milan, utilising a Falcon 50 aircraft from the 31st Wing of the Air Force, for a baby just over two weeks old in need of urgent specialist care.

The urgent flight, requested by the Prefecture of Palermo, was immediately arranged and coordinated by the Summit Situations Room of the Air Squad Command, the operations room of the Italian Air Force which, among its duties, also includes activating and managing urgent medical transport, using the aircraft and crews that the Armed Force keeps ready, 24 hours a day, every day of the year for these kinds of needs.

The Falcon 50 of the 31st Wing, once it arrived at Palermo Punta Raisi airport, embarked the young patient and immediately took off, around 2:40 PM, bound for Milan Linate airport.

Once it arrived at the Lombard runway, after about an hour and a half of flight, the child was transferred by ambulance to the San Donato Milanese Polyclinic. The military aircraft then returned to Ciampino airport where it resumed its operational readiness service.

Through its Flying Departments, the Air Force provides aircraft and crews ready to take off at any time and able to operate even in difficult weather conditions to ensure the urgent transport not only of people in imminent danger of life, as happened today, but also of organs and medical teams for transplants. Hundreds of flight hours are carried out each year for this type of operation by aircraft from the 31st Wing of Ciampino, the 14th Wing of Pratica di Mare, and the 46th Air Brigade of Pisa.