Frequently Asked Questions

Established in April 2003, Angel Flight Australia is a charity which coordinates non-emergency flights to assist country people to access specialist medical treatment that would otherwise be unavailable to them because of vast distance and high travel costs.

All flights are free and assist passengers travelling to or from medical facilities almost anywhere in Australia.

Angel Flight volunteer pilots are not medically trained and do not carry aero-medical staff or medical equipment so do not act as an alternative to the Royal Flying Doctor Service nor Air Ambulance.

• International requests.
• Unaccompanied minors.
• Nursing home relocations.
• Adults who are not able to enter or exit the aircraft unaided.
• Passengers requiring a rescue service or an air ambulance service, or who need monitoring by medical staff or medical equipment during the flight.
• Passengers who are not medically stable or whose medical condition is unsuitable for transport in a non-pressurised light aircraft.
• Passengers travelling for critical care (for example, an organ transplant) as flights can be delayed by the pilot or cancelled at short notice due to unsuitable weather conditions.

Flights are provided by volunteer pilots using their own aircraft or aircraft they have hired at their own expense. These aircraft are termed ‘General Aviation aircraft’ and most have 4 – 6 seats.

The aircraft will either be ‘High Wing’ where the wing is above the cockpit (not unlike getting into a 4WD) or ‘Low Wing’ where the cockpit is above the wing which requires passengers to climb up onto the wing and crouch down into the cockpit (a bit like getting into a small sports car).

The flight credentials of our volunteer pilots and aircraft owners exceed the minimum requirements of CASA for private flight in Australia and the aircraft meet specified regulatory and insurance minimums.

Our volunteer pilots come from all walks of life and are required to have more than 250 hours as a ‘Pilot in Command’, a current medical clearance, and all relevant experience and endorsements for the type of aircraft they will be flying.

Angel Flight volunteer pilots donate their time, their skills and the majority of their aircraft costs for each flight. To help offset the pilots’ operating costs, Angel Flight Australia subsidises fuel used on flights, negotiates the waiver of landing fees at many supporting airports around the country, and arranges the credit of any air navigation charges, thanks to the support of Airservices Australia. Donations to Angel Flight are used to subsidise fuel costs.

A ‘health professional’ (medical practitioner, nurse, social worker) is the only person who can authorise a flight request after considering all of the passenger eligibility criteria. Contact your ‘health professional’ and, if they are not registered with Angel Flight, ask them to contact us to discuss your request.

Angel Flight is funded by private donations. We have a policy to never follow up donors asking for more support.

The charity relies on support from individuals, clubs and service clubs, large and small companies, and bequests.

Angel Flight is an exceptional charity in that it does not have a fundraising department and only spends about 15% of revenue on administrative overheads such as rent and telephones. Approximately 85% of revenue is spent on the actual coordination and delivery of its service.