Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) has turned a Boeing 737-700 into a flying ambulance to evacuate wounded and critical ill patients from Ukraine. The plane has been fitted with medical equipment and hospital beds.
The ongoing medevac operation takes part within the framework of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, which makes it possible for wounded personnel to be evacuated from Ukraine to hospitals throughout Europe, where patients can receive medical treatment.
The flights are also supported by the Norwegian Armed Forces and Directorate of Health, with which SAS has a long-standing agreement. On February 2, 2024, it was extended for an additional nine months, until November 2024.
SAS aircraft have participated in medevac and emergency evacuation operations in the past, such as during the 2004 Southeast Asia Tsunami and the conflict in Afghanistan.
On February 1, 2024, SAS conducted its 100th medevac mission connected to the war in Ukraine. Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, more than 2,000 patients and their relatives have been flown by SAS aircraft from an evacuation center in Poland.
The aircraft involved in this operation, a Boeing 737-700 with registration LN-RPJ, happens to be the last of the type operating with the Scandinavian airline. SAS retired the last B737 in commercial service in November 2023.