More Queenslanders were helped last year than any other as LifeFlight came to the aid of a record 8,477 people – 13 per cent higher than the previous year.
LifeFlight’s helicopter crews, operating from bases on the Sunshine Coast, Bundaberg, Mount Isa, Toowoomba, Roma, and Brisbane, clocked up 3,534 missions, which included airlifting injured motorists, patients with cardiac problems, seafarers, hikers, and farmers injured by animals.
Statistics released this week shows the number of missions was 24 per cent higher than 2023 while flight hours also increased by 20 per cent to 5,551.
The 2024 annual data highlighted August as the most active month with 788 people helped while Toowoomba was the busiest rotary wing base, flying 936 missions.
More than 800 people were helped following motor vehicle accidents and 51 people were airlifted after search and rescue operations across the state.
LifeFlight invested in infrastructure to support its growth with construction underway on two new bases in Mount Isa and the Sunshine Coast, and the opening of the LifeFlight Clive Berghofer Maintenance Centre.
LifeFlight is also part of a new Aeromedical Precinct under construction at Brisbane Airport, bringing together the Royal Flying Doctor Service, Retrieval Services Queensland and the Queensland Police Service Aviation Capability Group in one central location and due for completion in 2026.
LifeFlight Chief Operating Officer Lee Schofield, said it was a momentous year as the not-for-profit marked 45 years in operation.
“Queensland’s strong population growth combined with our expanded capabilities mean we are called on more to help Queenslanders whenever and wherever we are needed,” Mr Schofield said.
“Last year’s record follows on from another record year in 2023 and demonstrates our value to the emergency rescue helicopter network.
“This year we’ll be focused on finishing construction of our new bases in Mount Isa and the Sunshine Coast and enhancing our aeromedical capabilities through new AW139 helicopters, equipment and cutting-edge training programs.”
In December, the first new AW139 helicopter – the most advanced aeromedical rescue helicopter in the world – touched down in Toowoomba to begin service.
It follows a $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,” Mr Schofield said.
He said LifeFlight would also expand its free First Minutes Matter trauma training workshops across the state.
“This is an important step in improving community resilience, especially at a time when the number of patients grows year on year,” Mr Schofield said.
Notable rescue missions in 2024 required complex emergency response from LifeFlight crews.
In December the Mount Isa crew airlifted Lisa and Tony Fogg after they were stranded for three days and two nights without food or water deep in the North Queensland bush.
The couple were rescued after their SOS sign, carved out in the dirt, was spotted from the air by the LifeFlight crew.
The Sunshine Coast crew attended multiple missions late in the year where they winched injured paragliders to safety.
In October a paraglider was rescued at night after crashing into an 80-metre sand cliff while in December a female paraglider was left with abdominal and back injuries following a mid-air collision.
Ocean rescues also featured and included four fishermen from NSW winched from the water after their boat capsized off K’gari.
Other rescues ran the gamut of emergencies from an injured pig hunter through to snake bite victims, injured water skiers, motor vehicle crashes, and farming incidents
In Queensland LifeFlight directly services an area of 1.85 million square kilometres. It supports search and rescue efforts across 53 million square kilometres of land and sea for the Australian Maritime Safety Authority.
Complementing the helicopter network, four Challenger 604 jets are rotated through the Brisbane, Townsville and Singapore bases.
The jet crews helped 1,099 people in 2024 – 73 per cent higher than 2023, with Townsville recording a 67 per cent increase in people helped to 487.
LifeFlight Chief Medical Officer Dr Allan MacKillop, said aeromedical crews were ready to help with a vast range of medical emergencies in some of the remotest parts of the state.
“Our medical staff undergo intensive aeromedical training at the LifeFlight Training Academy, including Helicopter Underwater Escape Training (HUET), rescue winching and clinical scenario training, so they are ready for any eventuality,” Dr MacKillop said.
“They can be called out to administer emergency medicine under the most trying circumstances, such as wild weather, or the aftermath of a multi vehicle car accident.
“It is why our helicopters are fitted out as mobile intensive care units with specially designed medical equipment for life-saving care, whether that is operating 35,000 feet above the ground in a Challenger jet, or in the back of a helicopter.
“This aeromedical intervention can be the difference between life and death, significantly increasing a patient’s chance of survival, so it is vitally important.”
As in previous years, much of LifeFlight’s aeromedical work involved Inter-Facility Transfers (IFT) or moving patients between medical facilities. This ensures all communities have equal access to the best possible healthcare, no matter where they live.
LifeFlight has helped more than 90,000 people since its inception in 1979.
2024 HIGHLIGHTS: