The ÖAMTC air rescue welcomes the initiative proposal to change the Aviation Act, which was submitted to the National Council yesterday. This change is intended to ensure that emergency medical helicopters can also use airfields outside of operating hours, e.g. B. can fly to for refueling.
The main reason for the request for a quick solution was the fact that it was neither possible to land nor refuel at the airport in Graz - where the Christophorus 12 base is located - during the night. This particularly affected Christophorus 14 and Christophorus 17, which provided emergency medical care to the Styrian population around the clock, but were not allowed to refuel at the base there after a night flight to Graz.
Marco Trefanitz, Managing Director of ÖAMTC Air Rescue: "A corresponding change and the resulting new legal framework will ultimately benefit the population: If we can fly more missions, we will help more people in emergency situations - it's a simple calculation." A solution is also within reach for the problem of missing take-off clearances from the tower due to weather conditions. "Thanks to the upcoming changes, our crews will be able to help even more people in need in the future and make optimal use of our capacities and resources. We would like to thank everyone involved who has made these pioneering solutions possible," concludes Marco Trefanitz.