Tyrol Air Ambulance

Tyrol Air Ambulance (TAA) is an Austrian air ambulance company headquartered at Innsbruck Airport. It specialises in the organisation and operation of ambulance flights, primarily repatriating injured or ill travellers to their home countries for further treatment. The company operates a fleet of medically equipped business jets and also offers scheduled ambulance flights, particularly during winter sports seasons. TAA traces its origins to early alpine air rescue efforts in the 1950s and 1970s, and was formally established as a separate company in 1983. It was a former subsidiary of Welcome Air and has been owned by British investor Kevin Walls since 2015, with the Austrian automobile club ÖAMTC retaining a 5% stake. The company transports approximately 3,000 patients annually and was named the world's best air ambulance in 2013.

The origins of Tyrol Air Ambulance (TAA) date back to 1956, when the first air rescue using a Piper aircraft was established. This institution was later taken over by the Austrian Federal Ministry of the Interior and continued with a ministry-owned helicopter. In 1971, the first permanent alpine air rescue in Europe was founded in cooperation with the surgery department of the University Clinic Innsbruck under the leadership of Gerhard Flora. On 5 July 1976, the first repatriation flight of an injured holidaymaker took place using a chartered Cessna Citation 500 from Greece. This was made possible by a licence held by Aircraft Innsbruck of Max Schuh, a Tyrolean aviation pioneer, since 1963. This laid the foundation for the founding of Tyrolean Air Ambulance; by 1979 a Citation fleet was available as ambulance jets. Later, Tyrolean Air Ambulance was taken over by Tyrolean Airways and operated as its brand until 1983. In June 1983, the Christophorus Flugrettungsverein (Christophorus Air Rescue Association) was founded, with the then TAA responsible for building the network and handling helicopter air rescue. In December 1983, Tyrolean Air Ambulance was spun off from Tyrolean Airways and re-founded on 23 December as Tyrolean Air Ambulance Gesellschaft m.b.H. In 1990, the world's first scheduled ambulance service was established. Colloquially, the term "Gipsbomber" (cast bomber) emerged, as patients—especially after ski accidents—were flown from Innsbruck or France to the Netherlands, Belgium, and the United Kingdom. After about 50,000 missions, the air rescue network was almost entirely transferred to the Christophorus Flugrettungsverein in 1995. In 1999, a management buy-out took place. Tyrolean Air Ambulance Gesellschaft m.b.H. was affiliated with Welcome Air, founded in 1995, which holds the largest share of TAA at 87.53%. 5.00% is owned by the ÖAMTC association. On 5 April 2000, the company received its current name, Tyrol Air Ambulance GmbH. For the 2012 financial year, the company reported an operating loss of 3.4 million euros. Losses had also been made in the two previous financial years, but the loss was reduced compared to 2011. For 2014, a profit before tax of 807 thousand euros was achieved after TAA divested its stake in Air Ambulance Technology in Ranshofen and significantly increased its revenue through intensified sales activities. In November 2013, Tyrol Air Ambulance was awarded as the world's best air ambulance, winning a competition organised by the International Travel Insurance Journal against companies from Mexico and Canada. In February 2015, Tyrol Air Ambulance, along with its parent company Welcome Air, was sold to British investor Kevin Walls, managing director of Aircraft Portfolio Management (APM) in London. ÖAMTC remains a 5% shareholder in Tyrol Air Ambulance.

• 2015

  Sold to British investor Kevin Walls along with parent company Welcome Air.

• 2013

  Awarded as world's best air ambulance by International Travel Insurance Journal.

• 2000

  Company received current name Tyrol Air Ambulance GmbH on 5 April.

• 1999

  Management buy-out; company affiliated with Welcome Air.

• 1995

  Air rescue network almost entirely transferred to Christophorus Flugrettungsverein after about 50,000 missions.

• 1990

  World's first scheduled ambulance service established.

• 1983

  Tyrolean Air Ambulance spun off from Tyrolean Airways and re-founded as Tyrolean Air Ambulance Gesellschaft m.b.H. on 23 December.

• 1979

  Citation fleet available as ambulance jets.

• 1976

  First repatriation flight of an injured holidaymaker using a chartered Cessna Citation 500 from Greece.

• 1971

  First permanent alpine air rescue in Europe founded in cooperation with the University Clinic Innsbruck.

• 1956

  First air rescue using a Piper aircraft established.

Premium, worldwide air ambulance service with decades of experience, 24/7 availability, and a focus on individual patient solutions.

• Ambulance flights

  Organisation and execution of transfer transports between hospitals and worldwide repatriation of patients.

• Incubator/child transports

  Ambulance flights for babies and children with specialised medical teams.

• Scheduled ambulance flights

  Year-round scheduled flights, especially from holiday regions, using Dornier 328 aircraft.

1. 1TAA official websitetaa.at
2. 2TAA official website pagetaa.at
3. 3Tyrol Air Ambulance - Wikidatawikidata.org
4. 4Tyrol Air Ambulance - Wikipedia (German)de.wikipedia.org