Charity comes to rescue Angel Flight offering free medical services between Cairns and Bamaga on Cape

l AEROGLEN

| Nick

Dalton

CHARITY medical flight

TWO service

Angel Flight is stepping in to fill the void left with Rex Airlines axing their Cairns-Bamaga route.

The service is also hoping to base a $3 million Vision Jet in Cairns to fly medical professionals and non-urgent patients faster between destinations.

Angel Flight chief executive officer Marjorie Pagani said Rex Airlines had reduced many travel routes in regional areas of Australia – including the Bamaga service – due to shortages of pilots, engineers, and parts.

“The reduced routes will impact many people, including those requiring medical treatment. Angel Flight is looking to fill this gap by offering to help those in need,” she said.

Angel Flight is a charity that coordinates free nonemergency flights to assist people in rural areas, in accessing medical treatment, not available to them due to vast distance and high travel costs.

“Angel Flight will continue to fly non-emergency patients to and from

Cairns, and also coordinate compassionate flights, in addition to our increasing flights for medical health professionals and health students for placements in this region,” Ms Pagani said.

She said the service was transporting doctors from Bamaga to Brisbane in a donated seven-seat Vision Jet through a partnership with the Ochre Medical Group.

“We expect this need to continue to expand, and with government assistance (and proceeds from a lottery) in placing a Vision Jet in Cairns, we hope to run a dedicated small jet service to meet this need.

“This medi-support jet service is one we are hoping to fund permanently with both government assistance, and out of the proceeds of the Your Jet Life Lottery which it is hoped can run twice a year, where ticket buyers can win a state-of-the-art Cirrus aircraft, plus fuel, hangarage, management costs, and flight training if wanted (or the provision of a dedicated pilot for 12 months),” Ms Pagani said.

The Vision Jet significantly reduces travel times so health professionals can spend more time on

- Quarter page $600.00*

- Half Page $1100.00*

- Full Page $1500.00* the ground with patients. The jet was used to transport Dr Ash Collins out of Bamaga.

“This service can help doctors reach their patients faster and provide care quicker, which is often essential when working in underserved areas,” said Dr Collins.

Angel Flight has been operating for 20 years, coordinating over 54,000 flights, including routes that have recently been cut.

The cut to the Bamaga service was implemented by Rex from May 1.

Airline network strategy general manager Warrick Lodge said “these adjust- ments are necessitated by the chronic shortage of airline professionals, particularly pilots and engineers, as well as the severe disruption in the supply chain of aircraft and engine parts”.

He said nine routes had been cut while the timings of flights on four other routes would also change. “We do understand the impact these adjustments would have on the regional communities affected as Rex is the lifeline for these communities,” Mr Lodge said.“We pledge that we will reinstate the services once the situation has stabilised,” he said.