The ASL Group is branching into medevac with the launch of ASL Fly Med. The Benelux operator was previously active in medical flights in the 1990s using King Airs, but when the type became less popular, the board decided to leave the market. “Now we have seized an opportunity from a company that was ceasing activity with two Learjets, so we took them over and started this new project,” says CEO Philippe Bodson. “I managed to find some very good people with a lot of experience to support me with this. We have the intention to start it out from Cologne and Liege. Liege is our new base, open 24 hours a day, as is Cologne. We started ASL Germany with a focus on medical flights. That’s a huge market, and we have found a very good partner to do it with us; MedCareProfessional helps us with the doctors and nurses, the medical team. It’s a case of going back to where we were before but where we lost the market with the King Airs.”

The range and speed of the Learjets are advantageous, as is the large cargo door to load and unload patients. ASL will not only do medical repatriations, but organ flights too. “That’s a market we were already heavily involved in, flying at night with organs. This is a major project for our group. We will not be carrying out these missions alone, as we will work with highly experienced partners and professional teams to commence these ops. We have taken on new people, and we have also trained existing staff specifically for these medical flights. We have prepared for this operation well.

“We want to get it right from the very first moment. We are talking about a speciality here where people are ill, so you really need to know what you are doing. If you make a mistake on a normal charter it’s not fun, but here it’s critical. Everyone needs to know exactly what to do and what not to do.”

The Learjet 45s OO-MED and OO-DOC are equipped with a two-stretcher lifeport system and four seats, enabling them to transport two patients with doctor and nurse and a maximum of two extra companions.

“With the additional medical equipment, we are able to transport critical patients under full intensive care conditions. The range is about 1,800 nm with a cruising speed of 430 kts," concludes Bodson.