SAS MEDEVAC - Boeing 737- 700

SAS has a long-standing agreement with the Norwegian Armed Forces to provide a ‘hospital plane’ in crisis situations and for medical transport missions, so-called MEDEVAC flights.

The aircraft is a regular Boeing 737 passenger plane that has been converted into a flying hospital, with medical equipment and hospital beds.

The SAS flight crew on these operations are dedicated and trained for these challenging tasks, where some of the cabin attendants have nursing background. Medical personell from The Norwegian Armed Forces are responsible for the treatment and care on board the aircraft. The planning and preparations of this type of flight operations require high degree of experience and professionalism, involving a wide range of subject areas and departments in the airline.

About the aircraft: 18 hospital beds and 39 regular seats with the current configuration. The configuration can be changed, depending on the nature of the assignment. The plane can have 6 different configurations, where you can adjust the number of stretchers and seats. The configuration that the aircraft has as of February 2024 is the most used, with 39 seats and 18 hospital beds of which 3 are for intensive care patients.

SAS’ MEDEVAC aircraft lands at OSL on February 01, 2024, after its 100th evacuation mission on behalf of the Norwegian Defense and Directorate of Health. Photo: Frederik Ringnes, Norwegian Defense (Forsvaret)

These MEDEVAC operations have been ongoing for over 25 years, with missions such as the tsunami in Thailand, the terrorist attack in In Amenas, Algeria and evacuation missions from Afghanistan and Ukraine. It takes 24 hours to convert the plane from a passenger plane to a hospital plane.

At the moment the aircraft is used in a Ukraine mission a contract was extended until April 2025.

Ukraine mission - Evacuating victims of war from Ukraine

The Ukraine mission is part of the EU's civil protection mechanism and takes place through the long-term agreement with the Norwegian Armed Forces. SAS personnel on these flights are dedicated and trained for challenging assignments, and some have a nursing background.

Over 2,000 wounded and critically ill patients from Ukraine have so far been evacuated with SAS' MEDEVAC aircraft. The war victims are transported from an evacuation center in Poland to hospitals across Europe.

The collaboration is unique, and SAS and the Norwegian Armed Forces have operated near-weekly flights since mid-2022.

In the winter of 2024, marking 1,000 days since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, a mini-documentary was created to honor the collaboration between SAS and the Norwegian Armed Forces. This initiative showcased how our partnership operates in practice, highlighting the dedication and expertise involved in these missions.

"We are really the only European airline, maybe even the only commercial airline in the world using a Medevac aircraft the way we’re using it. The purpose is much greater than just flying. This is about contribution to humanity, and in this case about where flying can really help Europe, making sure that we are as safe as possible," said Anko van der Werff, CEO of SAS.

Brigadier General Petter Iversen, Norwegian Surgeon General, added:

"We have been able to transport heavily injured or sick patients all around the world. This is a capacity that we don’t have in our forces on a regular basis, combining using a civilian airliner together with professional teams, that are specially trained."

Inside SAS’ MEDEVAC aircraft, a Boeing 737-700 converted from commercial purpose into a ‘flying hospital’. Foto: SAS

Flight captain Lorentzen Ludvig (left) and Purser Ulrich Schieren from SAS, with Norway’s Minister of Defense Bjørn Arild Gram (right). Photo: Frederik Ringnes, Norwegian Defense (Forsvaret)

Troop Commander Oleksandr Vlasenko is one of several hundred patients evacuated to Norway for treatment. Photo: Frederik Ringnes, Norwegian Defense (Forsvaret)