The Westpac Air Ambulance continued to operate throughout the lockdown period within New Zealand.
The team was paged on 6th of April for a male spinal patient to be transferred to Christchurch Hospital where he received specialized medical care.
The flight path took our team right through Wellington airspace – usually very busy and the team often has to work hard to get a radio call-in.
On this day they transited straight through without hearing a single aircraft. When the team checked in with Air Traffic Control, they told the team they were the only aircraft operating in that airspace, and, at that time, there were only two other aircraft flying in the entire country.
This came a bit of a shock to the Fixed Wing Team and really hit home.
We here at the Westpac Air Ambulance have a policy of keeping the media informed of our work. We do this as a service to the media and in an effort to raise our profile with the public to assist with our fundraising campaigns. Our service is only possible because of sponsor support and donations. We appreciate seeing our name in any stories utilising information supplied by us.
