One of CharterDesk’s recent operations was a particularly delicate one, since it involved the transfer of a post-surgery patient from Nîmes, France, to Beirut, Lebanon. A Learjet 45 transformed into an air ambulance, fitted with a stretcher and medical equipment (decided jointly by the patient’s hospital doctor and the accompanying doctor), carried the patient along with a relative, the doctor, a nurse and the cabin crew.
The request arrived about a week before departure, when surgery was still pending. The team followed the patient’s recovery and the doctors’ decision on whether travel was possible, scheduling the flight for 48 hours after the fitness-to-fly certificate was issued. CharterDesk staff member, Gökhan Kaya handled the flight itself, while colleagues worked remotely to obtain permits for both countries. Its French partner arranged airport permission and direct ambulance access to the aircraft, limiting how often the patient had to be moved between vehicles. Direct contact between the two doctors helped plan each stage of the patient’s journey, from hospital to ambulance, onto the aircraft and into hospital care in Lebanon.
The ambulance reached Nîmes Airport roughly an hour before the arranged 11:00 departure. After around a flight of around five hours, the Learjet landed in Beirut at 17:30 local time, and the patient was taken straight to hospital.
Emir Özdabak, Managing Director of CharterDesk, detailed: “The patient’s condition set the timetable. We had to wait for the hospital report and the doctor’s approval before we could confirm that the patient was fit to fly. At the same time, we prepared the aircraft and the flight arrangements so the transfer could proceed once that approval came through.”
“Permits and ground access were essential parts of the plan. Our partner in France helped us obtain the necessary permission at Nîmes and ensured the ambulance could drive up to the aircraft. For a patient transfer, those arrangements have to work alongside the flight plan and the medical team’s instructions. This was planned step by step over the course of a week. We had to bring together a suitable aircraft, the flight approvals and the doctors’ clearance, while allowing for the patient’s recovery. Once the medical certificate was issued, the team was able to schedule the flight for 48 hours later.”
