LifeFlight has announced a major fleet expansion with an order for four additional Leonardo AW139 helicopters to meet growing demand for its rotary wing services.
The new helicopters will enhance LifeFlight’s ability to perform emergency medical services, search and rescue operations and law enforcement missions for government and the civil sector.
The four additional aircraft come as LifeFlight and joint-venture partner StarFlight Australia celebrate a decade-long collaboration with Leonardo Helicopters.
Since acquiring its first AW139 in 2015, this partnership has resulted in one of the largest fleets of AW139 helicopters in Australia.
By 2027, LifeFlight and StarFlight’s AW139 fleet will be among the largest in the country, with these new additions set to strengthen its Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS), search and rescue, law enforcement and aviation capabilities.
Leonardo announced the new helicopters last week at Verticon 2025, the world’s largest vertical aviation trade show, held in the United States.
The additional aircraft will bring the total number of AW139s in LifeFlight and StarFlight’s fleet to 20 by the end of 2027.
LifeFlight’s AW139 fleet is particularly essential for services in remote and rural areas.
LifeFlight operates across 1.85 million square kilometres in Queensland and supports search and rescue efforts across 53 million square kilometres of land and sea for the Australian Maritime Safety Authority.
StarFlight also recently celebrated a significant achievement, surpassing 15,000 airborne hours since 2020.
This placed StarFlight at the top of the global leaderboard for the highest number of hours flown in a Leonardo AW139 used for law enforcement operations.
The helicopters, used by Victoria Police, are equipped with advanced infrared cameras, mapping systems, and object detection software, which are crucial for both marine and land-based search operations.
The AW139s on order are equipped with the latest avionics, advanced patient care capabilities, and enhanced search and rescue features.
The aircraft’s reliability, versatility, and readiness make it a perfect fit for emergency medical service operations in Australia.
LifeFlight chief executive officer Ashley van de Velde, said: “As the demand for LifeFlight’s services grows, we are investing in both our fleet and infrastructure and expertise to ensure we continue to provide critical aviation and aeromedical services across Australia. This expansion of our AW139 fleet will enable us to better serve both government and commercial clients, ensuring we can continue delivering timely, high-quality aviation solutions.
“The continued growth of our fleet and modernisation of our aircraft are vital to ensuring we meet the needs of rural and remote communities across the country. The AW139’s exceptional performance enables us to quickly reach isolated locations providing life-saving medical care and ensuring efficient patient transport,” he said.
“Whether responding to emergencies in urban centres or remote areas, the AW139 is essential to our ability to deliver consistent and reliable care across Queensland and more broadly across the nation.
“The AW139 is ideally suited for the challenges posed by Australia’s rugged terrain, whether responding to search and rescue missions or conducting winch missions for law enforcement and defence, emergency services, aeromedical retrieval operations, patient repatriation, and oil and gas. Its versatility, range and reliability make it an indispensable part of LifeFlight’s capabilities.
“The new helicopters are well supported by LifeFlight’s world-class training academy, Approved Maintenance Organisation (AMO) team and engineering resources within LifeFlight.”
