Ukraine to resume medical air evacuation flights by year-end, PM says
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Ukraine will resume medical evacuations by aircraft operated by the State Emergency Service, significantly reducing travel times for patients, Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi said on Nov. 6.
Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, Ukraine's airspace and all its airports have been closed to civilian flights due to security risks. Most passenger travel, including for people requiring medical care, has since been carried out by train and road.
The mechanism is expected to become operational by the end of 2026, Koretskyi said.
According to the prime minister, the use of aircraft could cut the journey from Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine to the Polish city of Rzeszow, located about 100 kilometers (nearly 60 miles) from the Ukrainian-Polish border, from 15-16 hours to just two to three hours.
The government has approved regulations governing the flights, which will be used to transport patients, medical personnel, donor organs and equipment between hospitals, as well as to take patients abroad for treatment, Koretskyi said.
The Health Ministry's Center for Emergency Medical Care will coordinate the flights, while the State Emergency Service will provide aircraft, helicopters, and crews.
The new system will also apply to the Medevac Ukraine program, which provides free medical treatment abroad for Ukrainians affected by the war. Priority is given to people injured in hostilities and those who have lost access to medical care due to Russia’s destruction of medical infrastructure, Health Minister Viktor Liashko said.
"Importantly, aircraft will be able to cross the state border and deliver patients directly to an evacuation hub," Liashko said.
"This is particularly important for Ukrainians who sustain injuries as a result of the war and are accepted for treatment by European countries under the Medevac Ukraine program."
Ukrainian forces have also begun using aerial evacuation on the front line, despite continued Russian attacks and surveillance by Russian drones. The military carried out its first such operation on Oct. 19, evacuating a severely wounded soldier from the Kharkiv sector of the front line.
