International Air Ambulance & Worldwide Medical Transport

International air ambulance transport is the movement of a patient between countries aboard an aircraft configured as an intensive care unit, with a medical crew who take over care at the sending bedside and hand it over at the receiving one. Jet Rescue has flown these missions since 1996 from bases in Miami, Mexico City and Guadalajara. In 2020 we flew a patient on ECMO from Monterrey to Seoul — 6,500 miles in 21 hours, the longest ECMO flight ever completed by a civilian air ambulance programme.

The longest civilian ECMO flight ever flown

In August 2020 a 56-year-old South Korean woman lay in a hospital in Monterrey with lung failure caused by pulmonary fibrosis following COVID-19. She needed a transplant, and her family wanted it done at home in Seoul. She could not be taken off ECMO to travel.

We flew her. A Learjet 36 configured as a long-range flying ICU, with the ECMO circuit running throughout, routed Monterrey – Vancouver – Anchorage – Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky – Incheon. Total distance 6,500 miles. Total time 21 hours. Our chief flight physician Dr Cervantes led the medical team, working with the cardiology team in Monterrey and the transplant team in Seoul. The patient was stable on arrival and was handed over for transplantation.

It was the longest ECMO transport ever flown by a civilian air ambulance programme, surpassing records previously held by the United States Air Force. The mission was reported independently by AirMed&Rescue and Business Air News.

We mention it because it answers the only question that matters when you are deciding who moves someone you love: has this operator actually done something this hard before.

When international air ambulance transport is needed

A patient needs international transport when the care they require is not available where they are, or when they want to recover at home. The calls we take fall into four groups: a traveller or expatriate is hospitalised abroad and the family wants them repatriated; a patient needs a procedure — transplant, cardiac surgery, specialist oncology — offered in another country; an insurer or assistance company is moving a member under a policy covering medical evacuation; or a hospital needs to transfer a patient whose condition exceeds its capability.

In each case the question is the same: can this patient survive the journey, and what has to be on board for that to be true. Our medical department answers that before we quote, not after.

What makes it an ICU and not a stretcher in an aeroplane

“Air ambulance” covers everything from a stretcher bolted into a charter jet to a full flying intensive care unit. The difference matters when something goes wrong at altitude. Our international missions carry transport ventilators including neonatal and paediatric modes; invasive and non-invasive haemodynamic monitoring; multiple infusion pumps for vasoactive and sedative drips; a defibrillator with external pacing; portable ultrasound and video laryngoscopy; neonatal incubators with nitric oxide capability; isolation and biohazard containment for infectious disease transport; and ECMO circuits where the case requires them.

Cabin altitude matters as much as equipment. A pressurised jet holds a lower cabin altitude than a turboprop, which is the difference between a stable and an unstable patient on a long sector for anyone with a head injury, a chest injury or compromised oxygenation.

The medical crew

Each mission is staffed to the patient. A typical international configuration is a flight physician and a critical care flight nurse; complex cases add a perfusionist for ECMO, a neonatologist for newborns, or a respiratory therapist. Our crews come from intensive care and emergency medicine and are trained for the physiology of flight — pressure change, vibration, limited space, and the fact that there is nobody else to call.

We also fly medical escort missions, where a patient stable enough for a commercial cabin travels with a Jet Rescue clinician. It costs a fraction of a dedicated aircraft and suits patients who need supervision rather than intensive care.

Our aircraft

Jet Rescue operates a fleet of seven permanently medically configured Learjets. None are charter aircraft converted for a trip.

Range determines routing, and routing is a clinical decision. Every landing is a physiological event for a critical patient, so reducing the number of them matters as much as the equipment on board. Our Monterrey–Seoul mission was flown with four stops across the Pacific because that was the fewest the aircraft could do it in.

Where we fly

From Miami, Mexico City and Guadalajara we fly across North America, Mexico and Central America, the Caribbean, South America, transatlantic to Europe and transpacific to Asia.

Our position between the United States and Mexico is not incidental. We hold operating authority in both countries — a Mexican air operator certificate issued by AFAC and United States operations specifications under 14 CFR Part 129 — so a cross-border transfer is flown on our own certificates rather than handed between operators at the border. For families moving a patient between Mexico and the United States, that removes the most common point of delay.

One distinction worth stating plainly. International missions are flown on our own aircraft, operated by MED JETS S.A. de C.V. under Mexican air operator certificate AOC MTS/2015. Flights that begin and end inside the United States work differently: those are operated by licensed FAA Part 135 direct air carriers and arranged by Med Jets USA Inc., an indirect air carrier authorized under U.S. Department of Transportation Order 83-1-36, 99 C.A.B. 801 (1983). The distinction decides who holds the operating certificate on your flight, and you should know which applies to yours before you book.

How an international transport works

1. You call. A flight coordinator takes the patient’s location, diagnosis and receiving facility if one is chosen. Available 24 hours.

2. Medical review. Our physician speaks to the treating doctor, reviews records, and determines whether the patient can fly, what crew and equipment the mission needs, and whether to move now or stabilise first.

3. Quote and authorisation. A fixed quote covering aircraft, crew, ground ambulances at both ends, and permits. We coordinate directly with your insurer.

4. Clearances. Overflight and landing permits, customs, immigration, medical escort visas where required.

5. Bedside to bedside. Our crew collects the patient from the sending hospital bed, travels with them throughout, and hands over at the receiving bed with a written clinical report.

What it costs

An international air ambulance flight is priced by distance, aircraft, crew configuration and permits. Jet Rescue publishes a rate card, which is unusual in this industry. Our quote is a single fixed price including ground ambulance at both ends — ask any operator whether theirs does; a surprising number do not.

Insurance and funding

Many travel insurance policies, expatriate health plans and assistance memberships cover medical evacuation, but coverage usually depends on the insurer authorising the transport in advance and on the flight being deemed medically necessary. We deal with insurers and assistance companies daily and will speak to yours directly.

Licensing and regulatory standing

Jet Rescue operates as a licensed fixed-wing air ambulance programme in Florida and under a Mexican air operator certificate issued by the Agencia Federal de Aviación Civil, renewed 05/21/2025. Our authority to operate into the United States is held under 14 CFR Part 129 operations specifications, current as of 03/03/2026. We have been a member of the Association of Air Medical Services since 2011.

Frequently asked questions

What is international air ambulance transport?
International air ambulance transport is the movement of a patient between countries aboard a medically equipped aircraft staffed by a critical care crew. The aircraft functions as an intensive care unit, and the medical team takes responsibility for the patient from the sending hospital bed to the receiving one.

What is the longest ECMO flight ever flown?
The longest ECMO transport flown by a civilian air ambulance programme was a 6,500-mile, 21-hour flight from Monterrey, Mexico to Seoul, South Korea in August 2020, operated by Jet Rescue Air Ambulance on a Learjet 36. It surpassed records previously held by the United States Air Force.

How much does an international air ambulance cost?
An international air ambulance flight typically costs between US$20,000 and US$90,000. Price is driven by distance, the aircraft required for that range, the medical crew and equipment the patient needs, and speed of departure.

Does insurance cover international medical evacuation?
Many travel insurance policies, expatriate plans and assistance memberships cover medical evacuation, but nearly all require the insurer to authorise the transport in advance and to accept that it is medically necessary. Contact your insurer before arranging a flight, or ask us to contact them for you.

Can a patient on ECMO fly internationally?
Yes. ECMO transport is possible on a properly configured aircraft with a perfusionist and the circuit running throughout the flight. Jet Rescue holds the record for the longest civilian ECMO transport ever flown. What determines whether a patient can fly is not the device but their stability, assessed by our physician with the treating doctor before the mission is accepted.

Can a family member travel with the patient?
Yes. One family member can normally travel, subject to weight, seating and the medical configuration that patient requires. On ECMO and neonatal missions the equipment sometimes takes the space, so confirm when you book.

How quickly can an international air ambulance depart?
A mission can typically be airborne within three hours of authorisation. The limiting factor is rarely the aircraft — it is overflight and landing permits for the countries on the route.

What is the difference between medical repatriation and medical evacuation?
Medical evacuation moves a patient to the nearest facility that can treat them. Medical repatriation moves a patient home, usually once stable. Both are flown the same way; the difference is destination and usually urgency.

Do you fly between Mexico and the United States?
Yes, and it is our most frequent routing. Jet Rescue holds operating authority in both countries — a Mexican air operator certificate and United States Part 129 operations specifications — so a cross-border transfer is flown end to end on our own certificates rather than handed to a second operator at the border.

To arrange an international air ambulance transport, call +1-786-619-1268, available 24 hours.