Apollo expands air ambulances
Apollo Hospitals has expanded its air‑ambulance services to speed international and domestic critical transfers—part of a push to make cross‑border medical evacuations smoother for foreign patients. ( )
Apollo distributed a formal PR Newswire release on April 2, 2026 announcing a structured patient‑transfer initiative backed by MoUs with multiple national and international air‑ambulance operators. (prnewswire.com) In its first phase Apollo named partners including Bluedot Charters and Air Ambulance Services (UAE), AeroMed International Rescue Services Pvt Ltd, Jhankar Aviation Pvt. Ltd, iCATT Health Solutions Pvt. Ltd, Air Rescuers World Wide Pvt. Ltd, Vedant Air Rescue Pvt. Ltd, AeroCare, Ayusewa Air & Train Ambulance, Air Medical 24X7 Pvt. Ltd. and Flaps Aviation Pvt. Ltd. (indiamedtoday.com) The hospital group said its 1066 Emergency Response Network will serve as the single coordination access point to manage partner‑enabled air transfers, integrating clinical handovers, on‑ground ambulances and airport‑to‑hospital logistics for bed‑to‑bed movement. (prnewswire.com) Apollo executives cited by the announcement — Dr. Preetha Reddy (Executive Vice Chairperson), Dr. Dhavapalani Alagappan (Clinical Director, Emergency Departments) and Ramakrishna Vijay Varma (COO, Healthcare Logistics) — said partner air ambulances will be staffed and equipped to provide intensive‑care‑level support in transit, including ventilators, defibrillators and continuous patient monitoring. (prnewswire.com) The release and follow‑ups state the MoUs include pre‑negotiated rates intended to moderate transfer costs and cut out informal intermediaries to improve transparency for families arranging domestic and cross‑border evacuations. (prnewswire.com) (indiamedtoday.com) Apollo pointed to its existing emergency infrastructure as the backbone for scaling the service: the 1066 helpline and network — which Apollo has said handles over 300,000 emergency cases annually — will be used to triage, dispatch and coordinate these air transfers. (bwhealthcareworld.com) (apollohospitals.com) The company’s PR circulated on April 2, 2026 and the announcement was published by multiple national outlets between March 30 and April 2, 2026, with the named partners and 1066 coordination model appearing across the coverage. (prnewswire.com) (indiamedtoday.com)
