Australia’s New South Wales Ambulance has taken delivery of the first of a pair of Pilatus PC-24 light jets outfitted for aeromedical services it ordered in 2021. The twinjet will be used to provide service in the southeastern state, which covers an area of approximately 800,000 sq km (306,000 sq mi) and includes the country’s largest city, Sydney.

According to the operator, the PC-24—which is able to operate from short, unpaved runways—will conduct around 800 flights, transferring approximately 6,500 patients, during its first year of service.

“The PC-24 increases the capability of our aeromedical operations and is ideal for the long distances we have to cover in Australia,” said New South Wales Ambulance commissioner Dominic Morgan. “It will be a great asset to our clinical staff and patients.”

Medical cases can be loaded and unloaded from the airplane, which is equipped with a patient loading door, via an electrically-powered loading device or a ramp.

“The PC-24 is no stranger to the aeromedical space; it’s a highly sought-after platform for many of the top aeromedical organizations around the world,” said Pilatus Australia CEO, Sebastian Lip. “Like the aircraft, the aeromedical configuration has proven itself in some of the harshest operating conditions anywhere.”