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LifeFlight has marked what it says is another record year of demand for its aeromedical services.
The organisation, based in Queensland, assisted 8,497 people in the 2024-25 financial year, up 3.9 per cent on its previous record last year. This translates to one patient every 62 minutes across its medical teams, helicopter and jet fleets.
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Helicopter flying hours were up 15 per cent to 5,940 hours, with total helicopter missions up 10.5 per cent to 3,372, including training.
“LifeFlight’s Challenger 604 jets based in Townsville, Brisbane and Singapore, airlifted 1,050 people with Townsville’s number increasing a staggering 86 per cent to 601,” LifeFlight added in a press release.
Lee Schofield, chief operating officer for LifeFlight, said the 2025 financial year was “one of the most significant” in its history.
“Every hour we are called upon to airlift Queenslanders in distress, whether it’s hikers stranded on mountains, capsized boaties kilometres out to sea, or people needing urgent medical attention in major hospitals,” he said.
“It’s a mission our aeromedical crews carry out with great dedication with the goal of bringing equity in healthcare no matter where and when people need us.
“My sincere thanks go to all LifeFlight’s staff for the incredible work they do. Team effort and coordination across all our work groups is key to providing the world class standard of care and ensuring equity of health care in regional communities.”
LifeFlight has over the past year moved to expand its fleet, as well as opening a new maintenance hub at Brisbane’s Archerfield Airport. The aeromedical organisation is building a new base at the Sunshine Coast and will be part of Brisbane Airport’s medical precinct, set to complete by late 2026.
According to Schofield, LifeFlight is looking to employ “the best aircraft, advanced bases and facilities, and cutting-edge training unmatched in our region”.
“Over the next year we’ll be opening new bases on the Sunshine Coast and Mt Isa as well as adding new aircraft to better service those regions,” he said.
LifeFlight added its first of three new AW139 helicopters in December, with the organisation also signing a fresh $1.25 billion 10-year service agreement with Queensland Health.
“The new helicopters, combined with the contract with the Queensland Government, ensures our vital search, rescue and aeromedical services will continue well into the future, as we move closer to providing equity of health care to Queenslanders, no matter where they live,” said Schofield at the time.
