Brisbane Airport welcomes Queensland Regional Aeromedical Base

Credit: Brisbane Airport (BNE)

Brisbane Airport Corporation (BAC) is planning to deliver a $72 million Queensland Regional Aeromedical Base that will connect more Queenslanders to major hospitals and life-saving medical care.

The 14,470m² multi-tenanted facility will be located between Brisbane Airport’s (BNE) two runways at the Airport North Precinct and will accommodate the Royal Flying Doctors Service (RFDS), LifeFlight, and Queensland Health facilities.

It will feature new patient transfer facilities, state-of-the-art hangars for fixed and rotary wing aircraft, administration areas, and a medical base for regional patient and donor transfers.

With more than half of Queensland’s five-million-plus population living outside of the greater Brisbane area, the Queensland Regional Aeromedical Base will play a critical role in connecting and supporting the regions.

Gert-Jan de Graaff, BAC’s CEO, said the airport offered an unparalleled aeromedical address with the size and flexibility needed to deliver special purpose developments.

“As the heart of the Queensland network for patient retrieval and medical transfers, the Queensland Regional Aeromedical Base at Brisbane Airport will enhance the network of aeromedical bases located throughout regional Queensland.

“A world-class development like this is not only a reflection of the strategic value of Brisbane Airport’s location and amenity, but also of our ability to deliver the best aeronautical connectivity and capacity thanks to our parallel runway system,” added de Graaff.

“Minutes can quite literally be the difference between life and death when it comes to aeromedical services.

“Brisbane Airport is the logical choice for such a facility, providing the quickest possible response time to get planes and helicopters in the air and on their way to the regions and bring patients in to Queensland’s major hospitals.

“We are working with the State Government, RFDS, and LifeFlight to finalise these plans and will then seek approval from the Federal Government to proceed with this new facility to provide critical medical care to Queenslanders who live outside of Greater Brisbane.”

Construction of the facility will support an estimated 200 jobs and a further 220 direct jobs that will contribute an annual economic benefit to the state of $100 million. 

The Queensland Aeromedical Base is scheduled for completion in April 2023.