COVID-19 Travel Notice

Air Ambulance restrictions and regulations!

In the event that a member needs to be evacuated it is important to keep in mind that with the CoVid 19 pandemic all regulations and restrictions have been adjusted accordingly , an evacuation will take longer to arrange and is dependent on authorisation from different government/state departments .

We will need to obtain approval from the Countries authorities to land in the country to collect the patient. Due to the pandemic, we will be required to clear into and out of the country via a designated airport

If the approval is obtained patient will need to meet the crew at a designated airport.

Depending on the nationality of the patient, their embassy or government they will need to provide DIRCO with a formal request for a South African registered aircraft to transport their citizen from country of origin.

NB! Please note that for the patient to be able to leave the country, the hospital, doctor or insurance will be required to obtain a letter from the Health Ministry of the country the patient is in, permitting the patient to be evacuated out of the country, regardless of their nationality. Any COVID case, we will require all authorities to approve this mission in writing before activation.

Please note that due to the current outbreak, we can apply for clearances, however, it will be subject to approval and the restrictions of the country that we are visiting. Clearances may take longer to obtain from certain countries and conditions are subject to change at the last minute as countries update their restrictions.

Departure will be subject to all clearances being granted as well as approval from the NICD, Port Health, Immigration, ACSA, Department of International Relations & Cooperation and the Dept of Transport.

Please note that if the patient is not a South African, their respective embassies will be required to submit a formal request to DIRCO for the evacuation.

In closing we can say that while we will do everything possible to arrange an air ambulance evacuation if it is required, with the stricter regulations these may not always be possible depending on the country that the evacuation is required.