Noumea, New Caledonia to Australia, 24/7
Air Ambulance Noumea to Brisbane
Bed-to-bed transfers with a medical team on board and ground ambulances at both ends. About 2 hours nonstop. Medical records are in French, and we arrange translation.
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We've filled in Noumea and Brisbane; change them if needed. A coordinator calls you back to go through the rest.
- Distance
- About 1,450 km
- Flight time
- About 2 hours by jet, or about 3 hours by turboprop
- Typical aircraft
- Learjet or Hawker 800, or King Air 350 turboprop
- Fuel stop?
- No
Noumea La Tontouta (NOU) to Brisbane (BNE). Times are planning estimates and change with winds, aircraft and the patient's needs.
What is involved in getting a patient from Noumea to Brisbane?
Noumea is one of the closest overseas cities to Brisbane, about 1,450 kilometres across the Coral Sea. The flight is short. What makes this route different is that New Caledonia is a French territory, with a French hospital system, French-language records and French ways of doing paperwork.
Most of the Australians we move from New Caledonia are cruise passengers or holidaymakers. Some live and work there, often in mining or tourism. Because the main hospital in Noumea is modern and well equipped, many transfers are about getting the patient closer to home and family rather than reaching a higher level of care.
How long is the flight, and does it need a fuel stop?
A Learjet or Hawker 800 flies La Tontouta to Brisbane in about two hours, and a King Air 350 in about three. None of these aircraft needs a fuel stop.
La Tontouta International Airport is about 50 kilometres north-west of central Noumea, so the road ambulance trip from the hospital usually takes 45 minutes or more. That drive is often the longest part of the transfer at this end, and we time the aircraft's arrival to match it.
New Caledonia is one hour ahead of Brisbane all year. A patient collected from the ward in the morning can usually be handed over in Brisbane in the early afternoon.
Why do Australians need to come home from Noumea?
Cruise passengers
Ships call at Noumea, Lifou, Maré and the Isle of Pines. Passengers who fall ill or are injured are usually taken to Noumea for care.
Heart attacks and strokes
Older travellers treated in Noumea who need ongoing care and rehabilitation near family in Australia.
Diving and water sport injuries
New Caledonia's lagoon draws divers, snorkellers and kitesurfers, and decompression illness and boating injuries need a carefully planned flight.
Australians working in New Caledonia
Workers in the nickel mining and tourism industries who need treatment for a serious illness or injury at home.
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 Noumea
Most patients are treated at the territorial hospital, the Médipôle de Koutio in Dumbéa, or at the private Kuindo-Magnin clinic in Noumea. Patients from the islands or the north of Grande Terre are usually brought there first. Our team speaks with the treating doctor, in French where needed.
A road ambulance takes the patient from the hospital to La Tontouta. We agree the departure time with the hospital and the airport, because the drive and the airport formalities take longer than the short flight might suggest.
In Brisbane
In Brisbane, the receiving hospital depends on the patient's needs: Royal Brisbane and Women's or Princess Alexandra for trauma and intensive care, The Prince Charles for cardiac care, or a private hospital such as The Wesley or St Andrew's. For Gold Coast or northern New South Wales families, we can look for a hospital closer to home.
A road ambulance meets the aircraft at Brisbane Airport. The flight team hands over in person with English translations of the key French records.
Does the patient need an air ambulance?
Scheduled flights between Noumea and Brisbane take about two and a half hours. A stable patient may be able to fly seated with a nurse escort, subject to the airline's medical clearance. Stretcher places on this route are limited, so a dedicated air ambulance is often needed for a patient who can't sit up.
What documents are needed from Noumea to Brisbane?
For Noumea to Brisbane we need the passport, the hospital's medical report (the compte rendu), imaging, and the insurer's approval. Reports from New Caledonian hospitals are in French. We translate the parts the medical team and the Brisbane hospital need, so there is no need to wait for the hospital to write an English version.
New Caledonian hospitals usually ask for payment or an insurer's guarantee before discharge, and bills are in Pacific francs (XPF). Ask the admissions office for an itemised invoice, the facture, for later insurance claims. Cruise passengers should also get the ship's medical report and check their passport has been brought ashore.
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