Air Ambulance Booking in India
An air ambulance moves a patient between hospitals or cities in an aircraft fitted with a stretcher and medical equipment, with a medical team on board, when the journey is too long or too slow by road.
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Aircraft used as air ambulances
11 types · 4–12 seats
9 types · 5–9 seats
12 types · 7–9 seats
2 types · 8–10 seats
5 types · 8–16 seats
6 types · 5–11 seats
Helicopters
No runway needed. A helicopter can land at a helipad or suitable open ground once the site and permission are checked, so it suits short hops, hills, venues and places with no airport.
For example: Agusta 109 Grand, Airbus H125, Airbus H145
- Seats
- 4–12
- passengers
- Range
- 290–550 nm
- 540–1,020 km
- Speed
- 110–155 kts
- 200–290 km/h
Figures span the types in this class and are typical for each type. Pictures are illustrations.
How air ambulance booking works
- 1
Share the medical details
The patient’s condition, the treating doctor’s contact, both hospitals and when the transfer is needed.
- 2
Confirm fitness to fly
The treating doctor and the air ambulance medical team agree the patient can make the flight, and what care is needed on board.
- 3
Match the aircraft and crew
The distance, the airports or helipads near both hospitals and the equipment needed decide the aircraft.
- 4
Plan bed to bed
Road ambulances at both ends, the receiving bed confirmed and the documents ready before take-off.
Air ambulance cost
Full pricing guide- Aircraft type
- A helicopter, a turboprop and a jet each have their own hourly rate, and the distance decides which of them can fly the trip.
- Flying hours and positioning
- The transfer itself, plus flying the aircraft to the departure airport if it is based elsewhere, and back afterwards.
- Medical team and equipment
- The level of care on board, from a paramedic to a doctor-led intensive care team, and the equipment it needs.
- Ground ambulances
- Road transfers between each hospital and its airport or helipad.
- International requirements
- Permits, clearances and documents when the transfer crosses a border.
Is an air ambulance the right choice?
Best for
- Families moving a patient to a specialist hospital in another city
- Hospitals arranging an inter-hospital transfer
- Travellers taken ill or injured far from home who need to be brought back
- Insurers and employers arranging a medical repatriation
When to book
- When the road journey would take many hours and the patient’s condition cannot wait
- When the patient needs a stretcher and medical care for the whole journey
- When the receiving hospital is in another state or another country
Before you book
- For an emergency happening right now, call 112 first. An air ambulance is arranged for a transfer, not as a first response.
- The receiving hospital has to accept the patient before the flight is confirmed.
- Some conditions make flying unsafe without special care, which is why the doctor’s clearance comes first.
- Some smaller airports do not operate at night, which can move a departure to the morning.
- Space for relatives travelling with the patient depends on the aircraft and the equipment on board.
Air ambulance FAQs
How do I book an air ambulance in India?
Call or WhatsApp with the patient’s condition, the two hospitals and when the transfer is needed. Share the treating doctor’s details early, because fitness to fly is confirmed before the aircraft and medical team are fixed.
How much does an air ambulance cost in India?
Air ambulance cost in India depends on the aircraft, the flying hours including positioning, the level of medical care on board, the ground ambulances at both ends and taxes, so each transfer is quoted for that patient and route.
Can a family member travel with the patient?
Often yes, but the space depends on the aircraft and the medical equipment on board, so the number of companions is confirmed with the quote.
Is a helicopter or an aeroplane better as an air ambulance?
A helicopter suits shorter transfers where it can land close to the hospital. An aeroplane suits longer transfers between cities with airports, with a road ambulance at each end.
Can an air ambulance take a patient abroad?
An international transfer can be arranged, but it needs permits, clearances and documents for both countries and the receiving hospital’s acceptance, so it takes longer to set up than a domestic one.
What is air ambulance?
An air ambulance is not a faster ambulance. It is a hospital transfer that includes a flight, and the flight is often the shortest part. The real work is at the two ends: the treating doctor confirming the patient can fly, a bed held at the receiving hospital, and a road ambulance waiting at each airport. A transfer planned this way is called bed to bed, and it is the only kind worth booking.
The aircraft is chosen around the patient and the distance. A helicopter can lift a patient from a hospital helipad or a nearby approved site, but its range is shorter and it is more exposed to weather. A turboprop such as the King Air B200 or Pilatus PC-12, or a jet fitted with a stretcher, covers long distances and flies above most weather, but it needs an airport at both ends. The medical team, equipment and oxygen on board are matched to the patient’s condition.
Some airlines carry stable patients on a stretcher, but only on their own routes and timings, and on their own conditions. When the patient needs intensive care on the way, or time matters more than cost, a dedicated air ambulance is the option.
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