Since 1983, the ÖAMTC air rescue helicopters have been taking off to save lives. From the humble beginnings - in 1983 there were only two bases - a cornerstone of the rescue service quickly developed, without which the Austrian health system would be unthinkable. As part of a ceremony, representatives from politics, business, health care and partner organizations took a look at the past, present and future of air rescue in Austria.

"Looking back at the past 40 years is gratifying," says Reinhard Kraxner, managing director of ÖAMTC air rescue. "Through a spirit of innovation and tireless commitment, our employees have created a flagship in the field of international air rescue." The range of achievements of the past decades is long and extends e.g. B. from more powerful helicopters or innovative recovery methods to trend-setting training concepts and autopilot to mobile ultrasound devices and our own weather cameras. The year 2017 deserves special mention in this regard: With the Christophorus 2, Austria's first emergency doctor helicopter was put into service, which is ready for use around the clock thanks to the latest technology. With the start of 24-hour operation on the C14 and C17 in the years that followed, a nationwide supply is now also guaranteed during the night hours in eastern Austria. "Our declared goal is to establish 24/7 operations in the western half of the country in the near future," says Kraxner.

In 1983 Christophorus 1 and 2 flew 191 sorties together. Last year, the Christophorus fleet recorded a record year with 21.934 alerts. “These figures clearly show that the ÖAMTC air rescue service is needed and that the Austrian healthcare system is unimaginable without it,” states ÖMTC President Günter Thumser. "Because by far the most missions fly our helicopters due to acute illnesses, such as cardiovascular problems or neurological emergencies." The ÖAMTC Air Rescue sees the fast and optimal care of patients at any time of the day and any place as their task. “My special thanks go to our employees for this. Through their day-to-day commitment, they make ÖAMTC air rescue what it is,” explains ÖAMTC Director Oliver Schmerold. "But we also owe a big thank you to our partners from politics and business, as well as the emergency organizations, whose trust makes our work possible in the first place."

Establishment of a medical drone service and digitization offensive

A look into the near future shows that the importance of air rescue in emergency rescue and patient transport will continue to increase due to demographic and structural changes. It is important to be prepared for this. "If we want to continue to fulfill our mission of 'helping people in need' comprehensively and, above all, safely for crew and patients in the coming decades, we must constantly prepare for future changes, challenges and trends," says Marco Trefanitz, spokesman the managing director of ÖAMTC air rescue, of course. "In this context, being well prepared means actively helping to shape the air rescue of tomorrow." That is why the ÖAMTC air rescue service is currently working intensively on setting up a medical drone service. "We are convinced that drones will play an important role in the emergency medicine of the future," Trefanitz explains the motives behind it. “In the future, we therefore want to supply medical infrastructure, such as hospitals, with priority freight using remote-controlled drones. In this way, blood reserves, laboratory samples or rare medicines could be delivered quickly and inexpensively to where they are needed.”

Keynote speaker Florian Tursky, State Secretary for Digitization and Telecommunications, was also impressed: “The air rescue fleet’s helicopters are not just flying operating theaters with the best medical equipment. Everything is state-of-the-art, from state-of-the-art displays to virtual classes and training. Personally, I am pleased that, like in my office, paper is history in the ÖAMTC helicopters. The so-called "Electronic Flight Bag" has been in use since 2021. This means that what previously had to be dragged around in heavy books and documents and of course also stowed away is now immediately available to the crew via tablets at the push of a button or a swipe of a finger. The advantages here are obvious. The documents are always up to date and real-time information about the weather or air traffic is always available. That's what I call digitization with benefits."

Despite state-of-the-art technology and a wide range of innovations, the ÖAMTC air rescue service has always focused on people: In the decades to come, the Austrians can rely on the Christophorus fleet to bring medical aid from the air to where it is needed.

"Only Albania and Austria do not yet have an air rescue service" - the university professor Gerhard Flora (deceased 2015) pointed out in the spring of 1983 what was then an intolerable situation in medical care. His clear words encouraged the ÖAMTC to act. Together with Kurt Noé-Nordberg (deceased 2010), the first knots were tied that would become a network of air rescue bases spanning Austria. Four decades and 435.000 missions later, the ÖAMTC air rescue service has 17 year-round locations, four seasonal locations and an intensive care transport helicopter, and is alerted more than 20.000 times a year. 67 pilots, 390 doctors and 160 flight rescuers provide the crews for the Christophorus fleet, on the ground there are 66 engineers and maintenance technicians as well as 55 employees in the back office in daily use.

1983 to 2023 – construction and further development, always up to date

"For us, it was important from the start, in the interests of the patients, to make both the technical developments and the medical advances of the time suitable for air rescue," states Reinhard Kraxner, Managing Director of the ÖAMTC Air Rescue. "In this way, we quickly developed into an institution whose know-how is valued far beyond the borders of Austria." The foundation stone for this was laid in 1983 - but the will to innovate and to design a professional and modern air rescue service characterizes the Christophorus operation to this day. And that will not change in the future either, as Marco Trefanitz, spokesman for the management, explains: “Of course we want to and will continue to fulfill our mission of helping people in need in the coming years. In order to ensure this, we have to keep our finger on the pulse, constantly change and prepare for challenges.”

Milestones from 40 years of ÖAMTC air rescue:

• 1983: Christophorus 1 (Innsbruck) and Christophorus 2 (Krems) are put into service.
• 1985: ÖAMTC, the Ministry of the Interior and the Armed Forces start to jointly set up a nationwide emergency doctor helicopter network in Austria.
• 1998: The Christophorus fleet undergoes a radical change: the first EC 135 helicopter is put into operation in Innsbruck.
• 1999: The intensive care transport helicopter (ITH) for secondary transport is stationed in Wiener Neustadt.
• 2001: Seven locations of the Ministry of the Interior and one base of the army are taken over.
• 2002: Christophorus Europa 3, the first emergency medical helicopter operated by two countries, goes into operation.
• 2005: The largest air rescue center in Austria is opened in Innsbruck.
• 2012: Ensuring the long-term financing of an air ambulance free of charge for patients.
• 2015: Drafting of a forward-looking and sustainable set of agreements with the social security agencies.
• 2017: Christophorus 2 is the first emergency doctor helicopter in Austria, which is in use around the clock.
• 2019: Start of dual operation at the ITH in Wiener Neustadt. In the future, C33 can also be alerted to primary operations.
• 2020: Unrestricted operation despite Corona.
• 2020: Opening of C17 in St. Michael in Upper Styria. Second base in 24/7 operation.
• 2020: New fleet concept is decided. Expansion of the fleet by six H135 Helionix.
• 2022: Start of 24-hour operation on the C14.
• 2022: Presentation Medical Drone Service.

A lot has happened in 40 years of ÖAMTC air rescue, both on board the Christophorus emergency medical helicopter and on the ground. “Air rescue has always been an area that is constantly on the move. In the recent past, this dynamic has even increased and brought a multitude of new challenges and opportunities, for example with regard to sustainability, the use of new technologies and - in general - constantly changing requirements for modern rescue services. One thing is clear to us: we want to and will always keep our finger on the pulse over the next 40 years and do our job of saving lives as best we can,” concludes Marco Trefanitz.