Flight
diversions due to inflight medical emergencies make up a tiny portion
of the millions of flights operated annually, but it is costly for
airlines. With more people traveling by air, the actual number of
inflight medical events has been gradually increasing over the years.
Emirates,
the largest airline by international traffic, operate over 3,500
departures a week, or more than 194,000 flights in 2016. In those 12
months, the airline handled more than 60 flight diversions due to
medical emergencies.
A
single flight diversion can cost Emirates anything from US$50,000 to
over US$600,000, depending on the nature of the diversion which include
fuel, flight catering, landing and ground handling fees, air navigation
cost, passenger rebooking costs and onward connection, as well as other
associated costs to care for crew and passengers.
Adel
Al Redha, Emirates’ Executive Vice President and Chief Operating
Officer, said: “We can never hope to recover the costs of a flight
diversion, but the wellbeing of our customers is always our number one
priority. Airlines handle medical emergencies differently, as there are
no international regulations on this front. At Emirates, like
everything else we do, the safety of our passengers comes first. If
there is a medical emergency on board, our crew have the training and
equipment to help them assess the situation, and deliver the best
possible outcome for the affected passengers.”
Crew training and equipment
In
2016, Emirates delivered nearly 23,000 hours of medical training for
cabin crew and pilots, ensuring they are ready to assist passengers on
board.
All
Emirates cabin crew go through a comprehensive initial training
programme which is required by the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority,
recurrent training to keep their skills up to date, as well as
additional specific training for the use of on board medical equipment.
The
medical training that Emirates cabin crew undertake includes both
theory and practical aspects. It prepares them to recognise and deal
with common situations, but more importantly handle rare but
life-threatening events when time is of essence.
Topics
covered include basic life support (CPR); medical conditions including
asthma, heart disorders, seizures and allergic reactions; trauma related
topics and even emergency childbirth amongst others. Pilots also attend
training sessions covering topics such as Hypoxia, Malaria, Dengue,
Trauma, CPR and choking and occupational health issues.
Emirates
has also invested more than US$ 7 million in the installation of its
medical equipment on board, with annual maintenance costs being a
further US$ 1.7 million. Equipment on every Emirates aircraft include:
emergency medical kits, oxygen bottles, resuscitators, a defibrillator, a
telemedicine unit, and a 24/7, satellite medical advisory service that
connects crew to specialist aviation medical consultants who can help
assess the passenger’s situation in real time.
Making the right call
On
average, Emirates’ crew make about 20 calls to the medical advisory
service per 100,000 passengers flown. Most calls do not result in a
diversion, but the professional consultation helps the operating crew to
make better decisions and offer the right support to the affected
passengers, particularly when there are no volunteer medical
professionals on the flight.
Emirates’
in-house team of aviation medical specialists, flight planners and
operations controllers, all work closely to conduct detailed scenario
planning and regular updates to diversion protocols – in keeping with
the airline’s growing global network, as well as advances in medical
thinking, inflight medical technologies, and training techniques.
Mr
Al Redha said: “If we have to divert a flight, our aim is to get
medical attention for the afflicted passenger as soon as possible. Via
our medical advisory consultants and Emirates’ own operations control
team, we identify the best location where the passenger may receive
appropriate care, and where the airport can adequately support the
passengers and aircraft.
“The
diversion location selected may be someplace where medical costs are
expensive and travellers should consider procuring the appropriate
insurance before they travel.”
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