For the first two days of operations, the new Rega rescue helicopter was stationed in Mollis as an additional resource. The crew was called out early on Saturday morning on its first mission for a winter athlete who had been in an accident. After she received initial medical treatment from the Rega emergency flight physician and was then handed over to the nearest suitable hospital, the crew was already on its second mission. While flying back to the base, the crew was sent by Rega's national air rescue centre on another mission to a nearby winter sports area.
Flying above the cloud cover thanks to the Low Flight Network
After the second mission, there was yet another call-out on the return to the base. A patient who had been taken seriously ill had to be moved from a regional hospital to a central hospital, the Cantonal Hospital in St. Gallen. While en route to the hospital the weather and visibility conditions deteriorated to such an extent that the crew had to fly the last leg of the journey from Walensee to St. Gallen using the instrument flight rule through the now-dense cloud cover. For this purpose it used the Low Flight Network system jointly developed by Rega, the Swiss air force and Skyguide which connects hospitals, airports, airfields and Rega bases with IFR flight routes and thus enables missions to be flown even when visibility is poor.
Challenging rescue of a winter athlete after an accident
On that same afternoon, there was a fourth mission on behalf of a winter athlete who had been in accident. Because the injured woman was in terrain that was difficult to access, the crew winched the emergency flight physician down to her and, after providing initial medical treatment, evacuated the patient with the rescue hoist before transferring her to the hospital. On this mission too, it was only possible to reach the hospital by means of the instrument flight rule and thanks the Low Flight Network because of the weather conditions Yesterday, Sunday, the new helicopter flew two further missions on behalf of patients.
First missions successfully completed
From challenging missions in the mountains with the rescue hoist to medical intensive-care transport flights: the wide range of missions on this first weekend shows why Rega chose this extremely versatile and high-performance rescue helicopter. Rega is purchasing a total of 21 of the same type of helicopter. The first was delivered by the manufacturer in December 2024. It was then fitted with the medical equipment according to Rega’s specifications and the medical fit-out was certified. In just a few weeks, the crew at the Rega base in Lausanne will be the first base to take delivery of its new equipment. Additional Rega bases in western Switzerland and the Central Plateau will also be equipped with the new rescue helicopter this year. By the end of 2026, all 14 Rega bases will fly their missions using the new rescue helicopter.