AMSL Aero forms partnership with Life Flight New Zealand

Australian aerospace firm AMSL Aero has partnered with air ambulance operator Life Flight New Zealand to support the development of its Vertiia hydrogen-electric vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft.

The partnership was announced on 24 September, at the 2024 Aeromed Conference in Christchurch.

The partners will support the development of the Vertiia, with AMSL Aero calling upon Life Flight’s expertise in the air medical sector, with the aim that it could eventually complement the operator’s fixed-wing air ambulance fleet.

This includes Life Flight’s “expert feedback” on the subject of “transferring both adult and neonatal intensive care patients between hospitals … together with lower-acuity patient transfers”.

“We’re thrilled to be partnering with an Australasian manufacturer that understands the challenges of operating in both Australian and New Zealand conditions,” said Mark Johnston, CEO of Life Flight New Zealand. “Hydrogen-powered aircraft such as AMSL Aero’s Vertiia offer air ambulance operators the potential to significantly reduce our emissions footprint, complementing New Zealand’s existing fleet of air ambulances with state-of-the-art aircraft that are both cheaper to operate and kinder to the environment.”

Life Flight is the first New Zealand-based development partner for the AMSL Aero. It follows a similar agreement signed earlier this year with AMSL’s launch customer, Aviation Logistics, which also covered the order of up to 20 aircraft.