Medical helicopter based in Fuerteventura now operational
New Fleet of Medicalized Helicopters Unveiled in Fuerteventura
The Government of the Canary Islands presented on Monday in Fuerteventura the new fleet of medicalized helicopters of the Canary Islands Emergency Service (SUC), attached to the public company Management of Health and Safety Services in the Canary Islands (GSC) and dependent on the Health Department of the Canary Islands Government.
The ceremony was attended by the President of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, the Health and Territorial Policy and Emergencies counselors, Esther Monzón and Manuel Miranda, respectively, as well as the President of the Island Council, Lola García, the director of the Health Service, Adasat Goya, and the mayor of Puerto del Rosario, David de Vera.
“With this new air medical transport contract, which represents an investment of €39 million, we are meeting a historic demand from the eastern islands that have long called for a reinforcement helicopter. Fuerteventura was chosen because it already has an authorized helipad, which has allowed us not only to add a third helicopter to the fleet, based on Fuerteventura, but also to extend coverage to all islands, especially those in the eastern province due to its location,” explained President Clavijo.
He also emphasized that “pre‑hospital emergency care in the archipelago will now have three advanced‑life‑support aircraft – in addition to the medicalized fixed‑wing plane – which will help reduce response times when an aerial resource of this type is needed.”
The three helicopters are based on the islands of Tenerife, Gran Canaria and Fuerteventura and can be activated according to need, regardless of the island, following criteria of availability and response time.
Placing the third aircraft on Fuerteventura guarantees an optimal distance for services that arise in Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and La Graciosa, while still being able to cover incidents in the western islands when the other two aircraft are occupied. Moreover, Fuerteventura is the only health area among the eastern islands that has a hospital helipad.
Counselor Esther Monzón added that the award of the new SUC medical helicopter fleet was formalized on 24 September, for a four‑year term. The contract was granted to a temporary joint venture comprising Avincis Aviation Iberia, S.L.U.; Avincis Aviation Technics S.A.U.; and Avincis Aviation España, S.A.U.
Monzón noted that SUC’s medicalized helicopters are deployed for assistance and transfer between hospitals of different levels for patients requiring specialized care for severe pathologies or accident‑related injuries, as well as for urgent evacuations from remote or hard‑to‑reach areas to health centers.
“It is an essential extrahospital aerial resource for the archipelago, given the fragmented territory, operating 365 days a year,” said an official during the event. Activity data reflect this need: in 2025, the two medical helicopters previously available to SUC were activated 1,148 times, a 7.8 % increase over the previous year.
The medicalized fixed‑wing aircraft, the fourth air resource completing SUC’s fleet, performed 770 interventions in inter‑island transfers and flights to reference hospitals on the mainland—primarily Madrid, Barcelona, Toledo and Seville—providing in‑flight assistance to patients requiring advanced life support.
Both the aircraft and the medical helicopters are crewed by a commander and a pilot, together with a medical team consisting of a physician and a nurse.
Island Council President Lola García highlighted “the importance of this day for Fuerteventura, as we are answering one of the most urgent historic demands of the island’s residents.” She added:
“The medicalized helicopter based on our island, operating 365 days a year, is a resource we have been demanding for years as an urgent and fundamental need to reduce the time of critical transports, ultimately saving lives.”
“Providing care to people is a top priority for the Island Council of Fuerteventura, and inter‑administrative collaboration between the Council, the Canary Islands Government, and the Island Health Area has made this and other health‑care improvements possible, with resources planned across the entire territory.”
Improvements
The medical director of the Canary Islands Emergency Service highlighted several key upgrades included in the tender:
- Pediatric and neonatal high‑flow oxygen therapy
- On‑board blood transport capability, with a portable device for immediate blood analysis
- Fire‑mitigation system for the aircraft interior
- Universal‑syringe infusion pumps to speed up patient care
Among the innovations, she emphasized a digital integration system for electromedical equipment, allowing SUC real‑time access to patient information and monitoring from the coordination room, as well as transmission of this data to the receiving hospital. “This enables post‑flight case analysis to develop therapeutic improvements,” she said.
“ECMO Retainer”
The contract also includes an “ECMO retainer,” enabling the transport of patients on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) therapy. ECMO temporarily replaces heart and/or lung function with an external machine that oxygenates the blood, used in critical situations when other treatments have failed, buying time for recovery or definitive solutions.
The agreement, which allows for a possible one‑year extension and modifications, is co‑financed by the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER) 2014‑2020 operational programmes and may be eligible for funding under the new 2021‑2027 programming period.