LifeFlight Engineering's aircraft maintenance capabilities will be secured well into the future, thanks to a planned new maintenance facility at Archerfield airport in Brisbane, Australia, servicing RACQ LifeFlight Rescue's iconic fleet of aeromedical aircraft.

The custom-built space will see the skilled engineering team move into a larger hangar complex, enabling LifeFlight Australia to double its current capacity for base maintenance activities. The facility is expected to be fully constructed by early 2024, under an agreement with Archerfield Airport Corporation (AAC). The Brisbane-based facility will be the epicentre of LifeFlight's engineering operations, working in tandem with onsite engineers strategically situated at every LifeFlight base across Queensland and interstate.

Together, the team ensures that every LifeFlight helicopter is safe and ready for flight, which typically means about five hours of meticulous maintenance for every hour flown.

LifeFlight Group head of aviation capability Michael Richmond said the project gives the aeromedical service the ability to future-proof the maintenance base to meet the needs of Queenslanders for years to come. “The current base maintenance facility at Archerfield has been a fantastic home for many years but increasing demand for our aeromedical services means we have outgrown it,” he explains. “This new purpose-built facility will ensure we have a site large enough to accommodate the growth of our LifeFlight fleet and subsequently the work of our skilled engineers who perform significant maintenance activities daily, including fleet management tasks and major aircraft inspections.”

The Approved Maintenance Organisation (AMO) conducts all levels of maintenance on LifeFlight's helicopters and air ambulance jets.

“This will be a significant improvement on the current engineering base, and we thank Archerfield Airport Corporation for making this new facility a reality,” says GM of engineering and maintenance Peter De Marzi. “Our engineering team is an indispensable part of LifeFlight Australia operations, ensuring our critical aeromedical assets are operational when Queenslanders most need them.”

AAC general manager Rod Parry says the new facility would be the largest hangar complex ever constructed at Archerfield airport, cementing its place as southeast Queensland's premier emergency aviation hub. “Located only 11 kilometres from Brisbane's CBD and close to major hospitals, Archerfield is the ideal location for LifeFlight and other emergency services,” he comments. “With the recent completion of Project AIM (Airside Infrastructure Modernisation), Archerfield offers outstanding facilities for aeromedical and general aviation, flight training and maintenance, repair and overhaul operations. Queenslanders know that if they get into trouble, there's a world-class rescue fleet standing by to help. We look forward to working with LifeFlight to construct the facility that will keep those aircraft in the air and saving lives for many years to come.”

LifeFlight Engineering's first-rate reputation precedes itself worldwide, demonstrated most recently when the team obtained CASA Part 145 approval. The approval demonstrates that the LifeFlight AMO operates to internationally recognised aviation standards.

“The new base maintenance facility will provide LifeFlight Engineering with another notch in our belt and bolster our growing name as an organisation with fastidious attention to safety and professionalism,” engineering operations manager Michael Dopking says.

Work on the new base maintenance facility, located at the western end of the airport, is expected to commence in July.