Air Ambulance Services in India: Cost, Types and Cities

Air ambulance cost in India by route

Budget ranges for the whole transfer, for the most common routes. They apply in either direction.

What changes the price

• Distance, and the aircraft type the route needs
• Medical team and equipment, such as a ventilator or an incubator
• Ground ambulances at both ends
• Night flying, airport permissions and how soon the flight must leave
• For a stretcher or escort, the airline fares and seats available

International routes and more detail: air ambulance cost list. What drives the price and how to choose: air ambulance cost, timing and how to choose.

Types of air ambulance services in India

The patient’s condition decides which are safe. We assess all three for every enquiry.

Helicopter air ambulance

Helicopters cover short distances, hill areas and places without an airport, such as a hospital helipad to the nearest airport. A helicopter air ambulance costs about ₹2.25 lakh to ₹10.5 lakh or more, depending on distance and terrain.

What the service includes

• Emergency transfers

  Critically ill or injured patients moved to a specialist hospital in another city.

• Bed-to-bed transfers

  Ground ambulance from the hospital, the flight, and the ambulance to the receiving hospital, arranged as one.

• Medical team on board

  A doctor and a nurse or paramedic chosen for the patient’s condition.

• Neonatal and child transfers

  Incubator transfers for newborns can be arranged on some aircraft, depending on the case and the operator.

• Organ and transplant support

  Fast transfers of patients for transplant surgery between Indian cities.

• Patients from abroad

  Transfers for international patients arriving in India for treatment, and back home afterwards.

Cities and hospitals we serve

Transfers run between any two Indian cities with an airport. These are the hospital cities patients are most often flown to.

Other cities we fly to and from

• Pune
• Ahmedabad
• Kochi
• Guwahati
• Patna
• Lucknow
• Jaipur
• Chandigarh
• Srinagar
• Ranchi
• Raipur
• Bhopal

Aircraft and medical equipment

The aircraft is matched to the distance, the patient’s condition and the airports at each end.

Photos show examples of each type. The aircraft for a transfer depends on the route and the operator available. Maximum range is the manufacturer’s figure; with a patient, a medical team and fuel reserves on board the practical range is shorter. Full figures: air ambulance aircraft.

On board an ICU flight

• A stretcher, a ventilator, monitoring, infusion pumps, a defibrillator and oxygen.
• A doctor and a nurse or paramedic, depending on the patient’s condition.
• A neonatal transport incubator or an isolation unit on some aircraft, depending on the case and the operator.

Is an air ambulance covered by insurance?

To and from other countries

Start with international air ambulance, or go to a region: Middle East, Europe, Americas, Africa, Australia, Russia, Central Asia. For patients coming for treatment: medical tourism in India.

How to book an air ambulance in India

1. 1

   Call and send the medical report

   Call or WhatsApp the 24/7 desk with the patient’s city, hospital, destination and condition, and send the latest medical report.

2. 2

   Medical review and a written quote

   Our team reviews the case with the treating doctor, sets out which ways to travel are medically suitable, and quotes each in writing.

3. 3

   Aircraft, team and hospital bed

   We book the aircraft or the airline stretcher, the medical team and the ground ambulances, and confirm the bed at the receiving hospital.

4. 4

   Flight and handover

   The medical team cares for the patient from bed to bed and hands over to the doctors at the receiving hospital.

The air ambulance booking guide lists the documents needed at each stage.

Choosing an air ambulance provider

• Experience: how many years the provider has arranged medical transfers, and with which operators.
• Medical team and equipment: who flies with the patient and what is on board.
• Clear pricing: a written quote that includes the ground ambulances and the medical team.
• Options: whether the provider will tell you when a cheaper airline stretcher or escort is safe.
• Availability: a desk that answers at any hour.

Why Safe Fly Aviation

• All three options compared

  We assess the private aircraft, the airline stretcher and the medical escort on clinical grounds, and tell you when the cheaper one is safe.

• A team at IGI Airport, New Delhi

  Our desk next to Terminal 1C arranges the hospitals, ground ambulances and paperwork, and answers at any hour.

• Licensed operators

  Flights are flown by licensed air ambulance operators and scheduled airlines. Safe Fly Aviation arranges the transfer and does not operate the aircraft itself.

• Written quotes

  Every option is priced in writing before you commit, for families, hospitals, insurers and assistance companies.

Request an air ambulance quote

Send the patient’s city, hospital, destination and condition. We set out the workable options with written prices. For an emergency, please call.

Air ambulance services in India: common questions