Fleet & safety
Built for thin air, flown by rules.
The right aircraft, the right equipment and a hard rule: the pilot's weather call is final, every time.
The aircraft
High altitude workhorses
Rescue missions fly on light turbine helicopters of the Airbus H125 (AS350 B3) class, the type that has carried Himalayan rescue work for two decades and holds the record for the highest helicopter landing on Everest itself. The class combines high altitude performance with the small footprint needed for lodge yards and narrow ridgeline landing zones.
- Cabin for up to 5 people including the patient, weight permitting
- Stretcher configuration for lying patients
- Oxygen on board for altitude and respiratory cases
- First response medical kit on every rescue mission
Aircraft are operated by CAAN licensed helicopter companies under charter and rescue dispatch agreements. [EDIT: replace with your own fleet details and AOC number if you operate aircraft directly.]
On board
What flies with the patient
Stretcher & restraints
A secured stretcher for patients who cannot sit, with the cabin reconfigured before launch so boarding at the landing zone takes minutes, not tens of minutes.
Oxygen
Bottled oxygen with masks for altitude sickness and respiratory distress, checked before every rescue launch. Oxygen use is itemized separately on the invoice.
Medical escort
On medical transfers and serious cases, a nurse or paramedic manages the patient in flight and hands over directly to the receiving hospital team.
The rules we fly by
Safety before speed, always
The pilot decides
No coordinator, client or insurer can order a launch into bad weather. If the pilot says wait, the mission waits, and the desk tells you exactly why and for how long.
Daylight, visual conditions
Mountain rescue in Nepal flies by visual flight rules in daylight. Afternoon reports usually mean a first light launch, so the earlier you call, the earlier the patient flies.
Cleared before airborne
Every rescue dispatch carries the required flight clearance and, for hospital transfers, a formal referral letter. Paperwork moves in parallel with fueling, never after it.
Weight is physics
Lift shrinks with altitude. Crews plan fuel, passengers and equipment for the landing zone's elevation, and companions fly only when the numbers allow it.
Hospital network
Where patients land
Handover is arranged before takeoff with major hospitals in Kathmandu and Pokhara, including [EDIT: list your partner hospitals, for example Nepal Mediciti, HAMS, Grande International]. Where the hospital has a helipad the aircraft lands directly; otherwise an ambulance meets the flight at the airport. The patient's or insurer's hospital preference is honored wherever medically sensible.
Want the technical details?
Agencies and expedition organizers can request the full operations and equipment brief.