Having departed from the Pisa air base, the aircraft of the Italian Air Force's 46th Air Brigade enabled the two emergency vehicles, carrying the young patient and the medical staff, to travel more quickly from Bari to the “Bambino Gesù” Hospital in Rome
The tactical transport aircraft C-130J landed at Ciampino airport shortly after one o'clock this night, carrying a newborn baby of just two days old, who was in imminent danger of life, from Bari to Rome.
Made available by the Italian Air Force at the request of the Prefecture of Bari to the COA (Aerospace Operations Command), the C-130J of the 46th Air Brigade of Pisa made it possible to embark as many as two ambulances, carrying the very young patient and the medical team, and to significantly reduce travel times from the “F. Miulli” Hospital in Acquaviva delle Fonti (Bari) to the “Bambino Gesù” Hospital in Rome.
The aircraft took off from Pisa airport after the military crew carried out all the necessary procedures and headed towards Bari airport, where it loaded the two vehicles used for emergency medical transport, one of which was a back-up. After landing at Ciampino airport, the two ambulances continued their journey to the “Bambino Gesù” paediatric hospital in Rome. The C-130J instead returned to Pisa, becoming immediately available for potential new tasks.
The 46th Air Brigade of Pisa is one of the Italian Air Force Units that carries out operational readiness service for this type of mission, along with the 31st Wing of Ciampino, the 14th Wing of Pratica di Mare, and the helicopters of the 15th Wing of Cervia. The flying units are indeed available to the community 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, with aircraft and crews capable of operating, even in complex weather conditions, to ensure the urgent transport not only of people in imminent danger of death, but also of organs, medical teams, or ambulances.
