European Air Ambulance, head-quartered at Luxembourg airport, has welcomed a fourth Learjet 45XR to its fleet of dedicated air ambulance aircraft. The latest arrival means that four out of the company's five jets are fully-equipped medical mission LR45XRs.

The operator selected the aircraft owing to its flexibility, technical advancements and added capacity. EAA is one of the largest specialised air ambulance service providers in Europe, offering worldwide repatriation around-the-clock. In November it was named ITIJ Air Ambulance Provider of the Year for 2016, and it has added the most recent aircraft as part of a rolling programme of renewal that had already seen three Learjet 35As replaced with LR45XRs.

Director of sales and marketing Patrick Schomaker says: “Every patient's situation and needs are unique, meaning no two missions are the same. Our harmonised and modernised fleet means our clients can rely on an exceptional service and standard of care every time, regardless of the job at hand.”

The sizeable cabin of the latest addition means that there is space for two patients as well as medical crew. Other configurations can accommodate either two intensive care patients, an incubator and a mother on a stretcher, or a single patient with up to four passengers. The Learjet has an infectious disease module installed and can also transport heavier patients on a purpose-built stretcher. Added to this, the jet can access small and remote airfields.

Compared with the aircraft it replaced, the LR45XR is faster, can take off with a higher fuel capacity reducing the need for refuelling stops, and can refuel in half the time. Satellite phones enable contact with EAA's mission control anywhere in the world, and an improved windshield defogging system means flights to and from hot, humid areas are less challenging.

Adds Schomaker: “We are delighted to take delivery of the LR5XR following the sale of our fourth LR35A to an Australian company last month. This is the latest step in our ongoing strategy to increase capacity and service flexibility. The upgrade brings many advantages to our operations and, most importantly, to the service we can provide our clients and the patients in our care.

“All of our aircraft are dedicated to medical flights and are, in effect, in-transit hospitals, offering a level of service and medical care that is simply not possible on commercial charter transfers for patients.”

The operator will be looking to sell its remaining LR35A early in 2017.