Strengthening resilience in 2025 and shaping a forward‑ looking vision for 2026
Tom Hienckes, Business Development Manager at European Air Ambulance, tells ITIJ about challenges faced by the industry, and why 2026 will be an exciting and successful year
EAA – European Air Ambulance – began 2025 with major operational challenges. External factors led to two serious fleet incidents: a Challenger 605 was hit by another aircraft while parked, and a Learjet 45XR was damaged due to improper ground‑handling procedures, grounding both aircraft for weeks. Despite these setbacks and ongoing spare‑parts shortages, the EAA team remained resilient. Coordinated efforts kept downtime low and operational readiness high, reinforcing our competitiveness and mission focus. However, supply‑chain pressures, especially for aircraft parts, are expected to continue into 2026.
Looking forward
Geopolitical conflicts affected our global operations throughout 2025, creating challenges that have now become the new normal. As we look ahead to 2026, we unfortunately expect an additional rise in flight restrictions, which will have a direct operational impact.
Following the successful digitalisation of our Operations Control Center in 2024, our focus in 2025 shifted toward strengthening our Medical Department. A new Medical Case Management software solution is currently under development and scheduled to go live in Q1 2026, marking another important step in our digital transformation journey.
We also advanced our capabilities in the field of organ transportation. A fully digitalised case management system for organising organ flights was developed, significantly improving decision‑making and communication among all stakeholders involved in organ transplantation. Our efforts were rewarded with the successful renewal of the public tender contract for the organisation of organ flights within France, ensuring that EAA will continue to support life‑saving missions for years to come.
In May 2025, the construction of the extension to our training academy was completed. The newly expanded LAR Academy now offers enhanced medical and operational training for both our employees and external customers.
January 2025 also marked the reintroduction of our transport incubators, enabling us once again to provide dedicated neonatal air ambulance flights after the loss of our specialised equipment in the March 2024 fire. Throughout 2026, we plan to further expand our neonatal capabilities.
We strengthened our capabilities by hiring more flight nurses and physicians and adapted their working roster
Partnerships and expansion
Our collaboration with hospitals in and around Luxembourg continues to strengthen. Together, we aim to enhance extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) transport capabilities through increased equipment availability, comprehensive medical crew training, and specialised aviation safety instruction for accompanying ECMO specialists.
Our Engineering and Medical Departments are developing an innovative infectious disease module for our Challenger 605 fleet. This new unit will set a benchmark for the long‑distance transport of infectious patients, ensuring maximum safety for both patients and crew.
Throughout 2025, we expanded our team across multiple departments. Several additional pilots completed their Bombardier Challenger 605 training, and more are scheduled to begin their training in early 2026. On the medical side, we strengthened our capabilities by hiring more flight nurses and physicians and adapted their working roster, enabling us to support long‑range air ambulance missions. For our flying crews, we also improved the visa situation. As a result, by 2026 the majority now hold valid visas for the key countries that still require them.
In 2025, we were proud to receive the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) label, an important recognition of our commitment to responsible, sustainable, and human‑centred practices. This dedication will continue to guide us throughout 2026.
By investing in our people, strengthening our processes, and embracing innovation, we remain true to our guiding principle: “Your patient, our mission.” All these initiatives ensure that EAA remains at the forefront of air ambulance excellence, in 2026 and in the years ahead.
Tom Hienckes
Business Development Manager, European Air Ambulance
Tom is the Business Development Manager at European Air Ambulance, responsible for customer relations, account management and supporting operations across EAA’s Challenger 605 and Learjet 45XR fleet. An aviation enthusiast, he studied Aviation Management before starting his career with a global business jet operator, gaining experience in both commercial and operational roles in Luxembourg and the United Kingdom. His customer-focused and operational mindset strengthens EAA’s patient-centred mission to deliver high‑quality global air ambulance services. Fluent in Luxembourgish, German, French, and English, Tom builds strong relationships across the international air ambulance and travel insurance sectors.
February 2026
Issue
In this issue of ITIJ we look at international student insurance, and consider the impact of geopolitical decisions on market demand; we examine what ensues when a fatality happens on board a cruise ship, and what the protocols are for management of the remains; and we look at younger groups eschewing travel insurance.
Editorial Team
The Editorial Team updates the ITIJ website daily, and works on features for the print edition. With expert industry knowledge and years of experience in writing about complex travel insurance issues, the Editorial Team is ready to investigate and report on the topics that matter most to ITIJ's readers.
