The Royal Flying Doctor Service in Western Australia has officially welcomed a new Pilatus PC-12 PRO aircraft to its Jandakot base - the first of its kind to join the RFDS WA fleet.
Generously funded by Mrs Gina Rinehart AO through the Rinehart Medical Foundation and Hancock Iron Ore, the aircraft marks a significant milestone in RFDS WA’s fleet modernisation program, which will see eight retiring PC-12 aircraft progressively replaced by next-generation PC-12 PROs by 2030.
Designed to meet growing demand for aeromedical services across the state's vast regional and remote areas, the PC-12 PRO delivers enhanced speed, range, efficiency and safety. The aircraft will help RFDS WA continue providing critical care to people living, working and travelling throughout Western Australia, where distance and time can often be the difference between life and death.
RFDS WA CEO Judith Barker ASM said the new aircraft represents an important investment in the future of rural and remote healthcare.
“This aircraft gives us greater range, reliability and capability, which is critical when operating across WA's vast and often challenging environment,” Ms Barker said.
“When someone is critically unwell or injured, every minute matters. This aircraft helps ensure help can arrive sooner, and patients can be transported faster to the care they need.”
For Mrs Gina Rinehart AO, supporting the new aircraft is about helping ensure people across regional and remote Western Australia can access critical healthcare when they need it most.
“In a state as vast as Western Australia, where distance and time can mean the difference between life and death, it's great to welcome a faster aircraft, the first of the new PC-12 PRO aircraft to Western Australia,” Mrs Rinehart said.
“The work of the Flying Doctor undoubtedly saves countless lives each year across our rural communities and vast state. For the many families in remote areas, this service is essential.”
Flying a combined six million kilometres each year, RFDS WA's current PC-12 aircraft support more than 7,500 aeromedical retrievals annually across some of the most remote parts of the state.
Designed for Western Australia's rugged conditions, the aircraft can take off and land on gravel airstrips, roads and remote runways, making them the workhorses of the RFDS fleet and enabling crews to reach communities where access to healthcare can be limited.
The arrival of the PC-12 PRO will help build on that capability, supporting the delivery of critical care across regional and remote Western Australia for years to come.
Pilots and medical crews will now undertake specialised training on the new aircraft ahead of its entry into operational service later this year.
