Medical charter flight: intensive care on board, bed to bed
A medical aircraft is not a plane with a sick person sitting in it. It is a flying intensive care unit: a ventilator, a monitor, infusion pumps, an oxygen supply and an intensive care physician who takes the patient from one clinic bed and does not leave them until they are in a bed at the other clinic. On this page we explain when it is essential and when an escort on a scheduled flight is enough, what the price is made up of and what has to happen for the aircraft to take off within hours rather than days.
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Intensive care in the airEquipment and a doctor who continue treatment during the journey
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Bed to bedAn ambulance at both ends and a receiving intensive care unit agreed before departure
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Fixed priceA written operator quote with every item listed, before you sign
Three formats and who each one is for
The format is chosen by the patient's condition, not the budget. If the doctors say a dedicated aircraft is needed, there is no cheaper option; if they say an escort is enough, the expensive option is not needed.
| Format | Who it is for | On board | Time from request to departure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medical charter aircraft | On a ventilator, unstable, bedbound, recent heart attack or stroke, newborn in an incubator | Intensive care physician and a nurse or paramedic, ventilator, monitor, pumps, oxygen, vacuum mattress | Usually 12-24 hours, depending on where the aircraft is and on permits |
| Stretcher on a scheduled flight | A stable bedbound patient who does not need ventilation | A doctor or paramedic with a portable monitor and oxygen, a stretcher fitted in place of 6-9 seats | 3-7 days: the airline's medical clearance and fitting the stretcher |
| Medical escort in a seat | Can sit, needs oxygen, medicines or supervision during the journey | A doctor or nurse in the next seat in business or economy class, portable equipment | 2-5 days: the airline's approval for oxygen and a medical form |
These timescales reflect typical operator and airline practice and are not a guarantee: the aircraft may be on another flight, and a permit may be delayed over a weekend or public holiday. We can only give you real timings for a specific request.
From request to the receiving bed: what happens and who does what
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Medical assessment
The operator's doctor asks the treating doctor for the discharge summary and current readings and determines the flight format, the equipment needed, the cabin pressure setting and the make-up of the medical crew. The family does not take part in this conversation but receives the outcome in writing.
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Aircraft, permits, receiving clinic
The operator secures the nearest available aircraft and obtains flight and landing permits. Meanwhile we agree an intensive care bed and a receiving doctor with the receiving clinic and send them the discharge summary in their language.
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Documents and payment
Passports for the patient and the companion, the treating doctor's consent to transport, signed consent from the patient or their representative, the insurer's confirmation or advance payment to the operator. This stage is what most often holds up departure, so we start it in parallel with the search for an aircraft.
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Transfer day
An ambulance with a crew arrives at the clinic, the patient is handed over to the flight doctor with a handover record, the aircraft departs from the airport's medical terminal or straight from the apron, a second ambulance is waiting on landing and the patient is handed over to the receiving doctor. The family gets one message at each stage.
Price structure: why the figure is what it is and how to stop it rising
A medical charter costs tens of thousands of euros because the aircraft flies empty from its base to you, returns empty, and carries a working day for three people plus intensive care equipment. These costs are fixed, so the price should be fixed too.
- Always included: positioning and return of the aircraft, the flight, the medical crew, equipment, oxygen and medicines on board, an ambulance at both ends, airport fees, one companion.
- Rate requested in advance: aircraft waiting time if the clinic is delayed, a change of route, an additional specialist (neonatologist, perfusionist), crew overnight stay on a two-day flight.
- Must not appear on the invoice: anything that was not in the quote and that you did not agree to in writing before departure. We agree this rule with the operator before signing, and breaching it is a contractual matter.
- Our fee: a separate line, fixed, independent of the flight price. We take no commission from the operator, so that the choice of aircraft depends on price and availability, not on our income.
Frequently asked questions about medical charter flights
A dedicated medical aircraft or an escort on a scheduled flight: who decides, and how?
The treating doctor decides together with the operator's medical director, based on the patient's condition. A dedicated medical aircraft is needed when the patient is on a ventilator, needs continuous monitoring and infusions, is bedbound or has to leave quickly, because the aircraft is fitted out entirely as an intensive care unit and flies for you alone. A medical escort on a scheduled flight, with a doctor and portable equipment, suits a stable patient who can sit or recline in a business class seat. This option costs several times less, but it requires the airline's medical clearance, which takes 2-5 days.
What does the price of a medical charter include, and what could be added?
A proper operator quote lists everything together: positioning the aircraft from its base, the flight itself, the medical crew and equipment, oxygen and medicines on board, the ambulance from the departure clinic to the airport and from the airport to the receiving clinic, airport fees, the crew's overnight stay if the flight takes two days, and a seat for one companion. Extras are only possible if the route or the patient's condition changes before departure, for example if a sea-level cabin pressure or an additional specialist becomes necessary. We ask for the rates for these cases in the quote in advance, so that any change does not come as a surprise.
Does insurance cover a medical charter flight?
It depends on the policy. Most travel insurance policies cover medical evacuation, but only with the insurer's prior approval and often only to the nearest suitable clinic, not home. Standard Georgian health insurance policies generally do not cover a medical charter abroad unless a separate package has been purchased. So the first thing we do is read the policy and contact the insurer's assistance service: we send them the doctor's report on why evacuation is necessary and the operator's quote in their format. If the insurer refuses or there is no policy, the family covers the cost, and we know this before anything is signed.
Can a family member travel on board with the patient?
Most medical aircraft have seats for one or two companions, and one seat is included in the quote as standard. The final decision rests with the flight doctor: if the patient's condition is unstable and the crew needs the space, the companion may be asked to follow on a scheduled flight. The companion needs a passport and must meet the same entry requirements for the country as any ordinary passenger; luggage is minimal, usually one piece of hand luggage. With a medical escort on a scheduled flight, family members travel on ordinary tickets, and we book their tickets on the same flight.
What connects to the flight at both ends
- ICU ambulance and airport transfer The ground leg from the clinic to the aircraft and from the regions to Tbilisi airport.
- VIP logistics in the destination country Accommodation for the family near the clinic, an interpreter and a coordinator from the moment you arrive.
- Discharge summary translation The flight doctor and the receiving intensive care unit need the discharge summary in English or in the language of the receiving country.
Checking for an aircraft commits you to nothing and saves hours
Give us the route and the patient's condition. While you are talking to the doctors, the coordinator will already know where the nearest free medical aircraft is and what it will cost.