The annual award recognizes the valuable work that air ambulance companies have engaged in during the past year, with an emphasis on leadership, innovation, and investment in services.

As well as the Air Ambulance Company award, the International Travel & Health Insurance Journal (ITIJ) Awards this year include the International Travel & Health Insurer award, Assistance Company award, Medical Provider award, Outstanding Industry Contribution award, Travel Insurance Product Innovation award, and the ITIJ Marketing Campaign award.

Speaking of all the finalists, Mandy Langfield, Director of Publishing for Voyageur Publishing & Events, congratulated them on their achievements in the industry: “All around the world, companies in our industry have invested time, money and thought into how they develop and improve the services they offer over the past year, and in doing so, continue to exceed expectations of clients and customers.

“The ITIJ Awards showcase innovation, collaboration, leadership and best practice in the industry; becoming an ITIJ Awards finalist is recognition of this great achievement, and I’d like to wish everyone the best of luck in their quest to become a winner!”

The winners of the ITIJ Awards will be announced in Barcelona on Thursday 9 November, at the conclusion of the annual ITIC Global conference.

The three shortlisted Air Ambulance Award finalists are:

• AirLink Ambulance
• AirMed International
• LifeFlight Australia.

AirLink Ambulance

Recently celebrating its 25th anniversary, AirLink Ambulance is a company based in Guadalajara, Mexico. In its fleet, it operates a Cessna Citation III and a Learjet 35. AirLink Ambulance has recertified its European Aero-medical Institute (EURAMI) special endorsement accreditations for Adult Critical Care and Pediatric Critical Care, as well as investing in additional certification to demonstrate transparency. It has a variety of specialists to care for less common medical requirements, such as neonatal specialists, pediatricians, trauma surgeons, cardiologists and intensive care unit physicians, and – in partnership with ECMO ECLS Mexico – AirLink Ambulance can also offer extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation transfers.

AirMed International

Part of the Global Medical Response and with two bases in the USA, AirMed International operates its air ambulances from Birmingham, Alabama, and San Antonio, Texas, as well as its floating base model, which allows it to deliver a flexible and short notice service. Its fleet has a wide range of exclusively medically configured craft, including the Beechjet 400, Hawker 800A, Nextant 400XTi, King Air B200C, Learjet 35A, and Challenger 601. AirMed International has accreditation from both the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems (CAMTS) and EURAMI, and has specialists with the ability to care for patients with, for example, ECMO requirements, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS).

LifeFlight Australia

Based in Brisbane, Australia, LifeFlight Australia operates jet air ambulance and helicopter emergency medical services from a group of bases spread across Queensland. LifeFlight Australia operates its AW139, Bell 412 and BK117 helicopters on a needs basis, and its Challenger 604 jets from the air ambulance bases in Townsville, Brisbane and Singapore. With EURAMI accreditation, LifeFlight Australia is able to provide specialist transfers for neonatal, ECMO and other specialist medical requirements. LifeFlight Australia also offers free trauma training workshops as a community safety education program, taught online and in-person by its first response medical training staff.