On Tuesday 23 March, the flight to Boston for the Lebanese girl took place, as arranged by the SMA Situation Room, at the request of the Prime Minister’s Office. Fortunately, the Children’s Hospital in Boston (Massachusetts – United States) has offered concrete hope of a recovery. Thanks to the efforts of Dr Paravia of the ‘Angels’ ONLUS and the intervention of the Prime Minister’s Office, it was possible to organise the humanitarian air transport of the young patient, in accordance with the provisions of the Prime Minister’s Directive of 25 July 2008, which governs state-organised air transport for humanitarian reasons. The Air Force General Staff Situation Room therefore received a request from the Prime Minister’s Office of Flights to carry out the transport from Rome to Boston. The operation proved complex from the outset due to the tight timeframe required to organise the transport, as well as the critical state of the child’s health, as she required continuous blood transfusions even during the flight. Through extensive and close coordination, initiated by the Situation Room of the Third Division of the Air Force General Staff with the Prime Minister’s Office, the treating hospital and the other parties involved (Angels ONLUS, the Main Infirmary at Pratica di Mare, 31st Wing), it was possible to fly the girl out on Tuesday 23 March at 13.25 from Ciampino Airport on a Falcon 900-Ex Easy. During the 10-hour flight, the Italian Air Force medical team, which attended to the little girl throughout the journey, had to administer four blood transfusions and six platelet transfusions, enabling Bayan to arrive in Boston at 7.00 pm local time (23.55 Italian time). During the course of the day, in addition to Bayan’s humanitarian medical transport, three emergency medical transports were arranged in Italy, offering a chance at life to three-day-old Emma, four-month-old Miriana and 48-year-old Massimo. Furthermore, on Saturday 27 March, it will be the turn of Irene, a 6-year-old girl who will return to Italy on an Italian Air Force aircraft, following a course of rehabilitation treatment in the Slovak Republic. During 2009, the Situation Room of the Third Department of the Air Force General Staff organised, at the request of the Prime Minister’s Office – Flight Operations Unit and the relevant prefectures, the execution of operational missions to transport patients to facilities capable of treating their conditions, totalling approximately 1,300 flight hours. This was made possible through the priority deployment of aircraft from the 31st Wing and other assets in the Armed Forces’ inventory, such as the C-130, C-27, P-180, HH-3F, in cases where these assets were deemed more suitable for fulfilling the mission.
