Istanbul-headquartered medevac operator SOS Air is receiving regular bookings for its air ambulance-configured Beechcraft 400XP, which is wholly owned by the company and flies on its AOC.

Founded in 1993, the operator will celebrate its 25th anniversary next year and is now flying 50 hours of medical flights a month, on average.

Director Ismail Ege Kanber says: “We perform air ambulance services within Turkey and internationally using the Beech, so it is all fixed wing. Most of our operations come from abroad: our patients come from the Middle East, north Africa or Turkey and usually want to go to European countries.

“When we decided to have an aircraft of our own, we started to research about fuel and other costs. We decided that the Beech was a good option. The Citation Bravo was another option but we found the Beech at a good price. A Bravo would be a good choice if we went for a second aircraft.”

SOS has just started a subsidiary company in Amsterdam and aims to expand its market in Europe, strengthen its network and improve brand recognition.