Sky High Care! Careflight Lands Permanent Base at Newcastle Airport

In a win for healthcare services for the Hunter region and beyond, leading aeromedical retrieval service, CareFlight has announced Newcastle Airport as a permanent aircraft base for its operations, building on the successful patient transport service launched at the airport in 2018 to improve healthcare outcomes for Northern NSW communities.

Minister for the Hunter, The Hon. Yasmin Catley MP, joined CareFlight and Newcastle Airport directors and wider teams today to celebrate this regional healthcare advancement. The permanent base will significantly improve medical care accessibility and expand CareFlight's capacity to serve communities along the east coast.

Newcastle Airport Interim CEO Andrew Warrender said it was a privilege for Newcastle Airport to enable such an important community institution as CareFlight looked forward to seeing regional communities benefit further from this service.

“The move to establish a permanent aircraft base at the airport supports our mission to be the airport our region deserves and marks a new chapter in our ongoing partnership with Careflight to enhance the quality and reach of medical care available,” Mr Warrender said.

“Our advocacy for an International Air Cargo Terminal – the missing link in the Hunter Region’s air-based supply chain - would also be of significant benefit to aeromedical rescue services like CareFlight and deliver maximum value to our wider region, NSW and Australia.”

In 2018, CareFlight officially launched their patient transport service based at Newcastle Airport, transporting patients from rural and regional NSW to local hospitals such as John Hunter and Calvary Mater.

With a permanent aircraft base at Newcastle Airport, CareFlight can now offer extended services and support for patients requiring urgent care along the east coast. This new base also provides opportunities for aircraft maintenance and enhances Newcastle Airport’s capability to support international medical evacuations and patient transport services into South-East Asia.

CareFlight CEO Mick Frewen said the permanent base leverages Newcastle Airport's proximity to major, quality hospitals and opens new opportunities for the Hunter region in aeromedical services, while strengthening CareFlight’s commitment to saving lives and speeding recovery across a wider area.

“Our CareFlight crew and dedicated staff are tireless in their efforts to save lives and provide the best quality health care and outcomes possible,” Mr Frewen said. “Newcastle is an ideal geographic base for patient transport services for residents in Northern and North-Western NSW, as well as for CareFlight’s Air Ambulance services in the Pacific region.”