A two-month-old baby, in imminent danger of death, travelled on board an Air Force aircraft inside an ambulance, assisted by a medical team.
The urgent medical transport of a two-month-old baby from Lecce to Genoa, carried out by an Italian Air Force C130J aircraft, concluded this afternoon, 2nd November 2023.
The young patient, in imminent danger of life, needed to be urgently transferred from the “Vito Fazzi” hospital in Lecce. Due to the type of transportation, the use of a C130J from the 46th Air Brigade of Pisa was specifically required, an aircraft suitable for boarding the ambulance in which the child travelled, monitored and assisted by a medical team and accompanied by his mother.
The life-saving flight was activated, at the request of the prefecture of Lecce, by the Air Force's Aerospace Operations Command (COA), which immediately involved the 46th Air Brigade of Pisa, one of the Units that carries out operational readiness service for this type of mission.
Following all necessary procedures carried out by the military crew, the aircraft carrying the young patient took off from the Lecce military airport in the early afternoon. After landing at the Cristoforo Colombo Airport in Genoa, which took place at 5 PM local time, the ambulance headed to the “Giannina Gaslini” Institute in the Ligurian capital for subsequent admission.
The Italian Air Force's flight units are available to the public 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.
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, the 46th Air Brigade of Pisa, and by helicopters from the 15th Wing of Cervia.
