Eyeing up APAC

You have been with Unicair for six months, but in the industry for much longer. What are the biggest changes you’ve noticed in that time?

The best way to describe the changes I have seen is to break up the industry pre- and post- Covid-19. Since the pandemic, the costs to maintain an air ambulance operation have risen significantly. In addition to spiralling costs is the lack of aircraft spare parts, impacting on the time taken to return an aircraft back into service.

Another key change is the number of staff and clients working from home or remotely. While there are benefits, there is nothing better than face-to-face interactions with clients and colleagues. That’s why events such as the ITIC conferences have become so important.

You moved from Australia to Germany to work for Unicair. How do you feel the industry differs in each country?

The major difference is the client demand for air ambulance transfers worldwide. With Australia being so isolated and with a relatively small population, demand for transfers is much less, and much less far-reaching. With Unicair being centrally located in Europe, and with a fleet of long-range, multi-patient capable jets, we can reach many countries and continents around the globe much easier and faster.

The region has 60% of the
world’s population and an
ever-increasing number of
tourists and expats

What does your current role involve?

The key areas I focus on include daily sales responsibilities, account management, submitting tender applications and reporting on market trends and industry developments. From a marketing perspective, I attend key industry events such as the ITIC conferences and I’m currently updating marketing materials and planning advertising campaigns in between European client visits. I am also working internally with our senior management team on a future development strategy including new base expansions and, together with the medical team, to broaden the Unicair portfolio in aeromedical transportation and communicate our highly innovative critical care transport product to our clients.

Tell us about plans for Unicair to expand in the APAC region

Unicair has been working hard developing a business case to expand in the region. It is built on client feedback, increasing demand, and the data we have been able to collect. The region has 60% of the world’s population and an ever-increasing number of tourists and expats, with only a handful of reputable aeromedical operators. While we are not able to make any announcements yet, stay tuned for further exciting news regarding our expansion.

What makes Unicair stand out from the crowd?

In 2022 while based in Australia, I had the opportunity to attend the ITIC APAC conference and meet with Unicair. I was so impressed with their company presentation it gave me the inspiration to one day become part of the Unicair family.

Now I am fully intrenched at Unicair, I’m proud to say what makes us stand out is our aircraft fleet capacity of 13 fully dedicated aeromedical jets. These include three long range Challenger 604s, seven Learjet 45s and three Learjet 35s. We are able to assign heavy crew for long range missions and avoid the high-risk activity of wing-to-wing transfers being conducted by short range jet operators.

Our clinical capability to conduct highly complex patient transfers such as ECMO, neonatal, paediatric, bariatric, and patients with highly infectious diseases, is also important, plus Unicair is one of only a few fully integrated aeromedical providers, having all our pilots, engineers, CAMO and medical teams in-house, which ensures our governance and safety standards remain higher than regulatory requirements.

We also have a laser-like focus on aeromedical transport. It drives innovation and a relentless quest for excellence. At Unicair, everybody works as if a life depends on it – because most of the time, it actually does!