Fiji to Australia, 24/7
Air Ambulance Fiji to Sydney
Bed-to-bed transfers with a medical team on board and ground ambulances at both ends. About 4 to 4.5 hours nonstop in a mid-size jet.
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- Distance
- About 3,170 km
- Flight time
- About 4 to 4.5 hours nonstop
- Typical aircraft
- Hawker 800, or Learjet with a possible stop
- Fuel stop?
- Not in a Hawker 800. A Learjet may need a technical stop on some days.
Nadi (NAN) or Nausori/Suva (SUV) to Sydney (SYD). Times are planning estimates and change with winds, aircraft and the patient's needs.
What is involved in getting a patient from Fiji to Sydney?
Fiji is one of the most popular family holiday destinations for people from Sydney. Many of the patients flown from Fiji to Sydney are children, pregnant women and their families, which shapes the crew we send as much as the aircraft.
At about 3,200 kilometres, the route is slightly longer than Fiji to Brisbane. That small difference is enough to change which aircraft can do it in one leg.
How long is the flight, and does it need a fuel stop?
A Hawker 800 flies Nadi to Sydney nonstop in about four to four and a half hours. A Learjet is at the edge of its range with a medical crew and equipment, so on days with strong headwinds it may need a technical stop.
For patients who need a low cabin altitude, such as divers, we normally choose the larger aircraft so that flying lower doesn't force a stop.
Fiji is two hours ahead of Sydney during Australian standard time and one hour ahead during daylight saving.
Why do Australians need to come home from Fiji?
Children's illness and injury
Broken arms, appendicitis, severe asthma and infections in children on family holidays, where parents want treatment at a children's hospital at home.
Pregnancy complications
Bleeding or early labour in pregnant travellers, where getting mother and baby to a hospital with a neonatal intensive care unit matters.
Water sports and boating injuries
Injuries from boats, jet skis and reef walks around Denarau and the Mamanuca islands.
Medical events in older travellers
Heart problems, strokes and pneumonia in older travellers, including cruise passengers who disembark in Fiji.
Can you arrange the ambulance and hospital at both ends?
Yes. The transfer is planned bed to bed, so the family doesn't have to organise anything at either end.
In Fiji
We collect patients from Lautoka Hospital, private clinics in Nadi and Denarau, and the hospitals in Suva, flying from Nausori Airport when the patient is on that side of the island.
For neonatal and paediatric cases, we bring the right equipment, including a transport incubator for newborns, and a crew with paediatric experience.
In Sydney
In Sydney, children usually go to Sydney Children's Hospital at Randwick or The Children's Hospital at Westmead. Pregnancy and newborn cases go to a hospital with a neonatal intensive care unit, and adults to Royal Prince Alfred, Royal North Shore, St Vincent's, Westmead or a private hospital. We confirm acceptance before departure.
A road ambulance meets the aircraft at Sydney Airport. For a child, the parent travels in the ambulance, and the flight team hands over to the paediatric team in person.
Does the patient need an air ambulance?
There are direct scheduled flights from Nadi to Sydney of about four hours. A stable patient may be able to fly with a nurse escort, subject to the airline's medical clearance. Airlines have strict rules on flying in late pregnancy, and newborns needing care must travel by air ambulance.
What documents are needed from Fiji to Sydney?
Fiji to Sydney needs the core papers: passport, a recent medical report, any imaging that was done, and the insurer's approval if a policy is paying. Imaging options vary between Fiji hospitals, so the referral letter should say clearly which tests have and haven't been done. That lets the Sydney team plan the first hours after arrival.
A family member flying with the patient needs their own passport and should keep their own return booking flexible, since the aircraft may leave earlier or later than first planned. Fijian immigration checks passports at departure, including on air ambulance flights.
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