Annual balance sheet 2022

This is how many missions ARA Air Rescue recorded

Whether day or night - state-of-the-art technology and a highly trained team took off on numerous missions in 2022.

(Bild: (c)Tomas Kika)

ARA Air Rescue, which was founded in 2001 and cooperates with the Carinthian Red Cross, recorded around 2551 missions in 2022. As a flying intensive care unit, the air rescue service now provides secondary transport throughout Austria.

The three emergency helicopters, which are stationed in Fresach (Carinthia), Nassfeld (Carinthia) and Reutte (Tyrol), recorded an increase of 404 missions (+19%) this year. "A remarkable figure! As our company has been in existence for 21 years, we have never been called upon as often as we were last year," says ARA Managing Director Thomas Jank proudly.

(Bild: (c)Tomas Kika)

(Bild: (c)Tomas Kika)

The ultra-modern H145 helicopters, together with professional crews, were also a real game changer at night thanks to the permanently attached rescue winch and high-performance spotlights in alpine terrain. This enables ARA Air Rescue to reach the scene as quickly as during the day. 

Saving lives thanks to the rescue hoist
Flugrettung is the only air rescue company in Germany and Austria to be permitted to use the rescue hoist for night-time rescues. Thanks to this option, several lives were saved last year. A total of 25 night winch missions were recorded. This option shortens the rescue operation by hours, which means that, unlike in the past, the rescue teams had to make enormous efforts and sometimes take high risks to reach the scene. This considerably shortens such night-time operations on the mountain. 

Thanks to the increasing number of missions, the ARA emergency helicopters are increasingly being invited to take part in exercises by various rescue organizations.

Annual balance sheet of ARA Air Rescue

• Fresach (RK-1)
  Total missions: 1,160 (2021: 1,125)
  Night missions: 192 (2021: 161)
  Total winch missions: 81 (2021: 69)
• Reutte (RK-2)
  Total deployments: 1,173 (2021: 1,000)
  Night operations: 193 (2021: 127)
  Winch operations: 236 (2021: 167)
• Nassfeld (ARA-3)
  Total deployments: 224
  Night missions 11

99 people currently work for the non-profit ARA Flugrettung, consisting of pilots, winch operators, flight rescuers, emergency doctors and administrative staff. In Fresach and Reutte, a four-man crew and at Nassfeld a three-man crew take off for missions.