Phuket, Thailand to Australia, 24/7
Air Ambulance Phuket to Perth
Bed-to-bed transfers with a medical team on board and ground ambulances at both ends. About 6 hours nonstop by long-range jet, or one stop by mid-size jet.
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We've filled in Phuket and Perth; change them if needed. A coordinator calls you back to go through the rest.
- Distance
- About 4,830 km
- Flight time
- About 6 hours nonstop, or 8 hours with one stop
- Typical aircraft
- Gulfstream G550 nonstop, or Hawker 800 with one stop
- Fuel stop?
- Not in a G550. A Hawker 800 stops once, usually in Indonesia.
Phuket (HKT) to Perth (PER). Times are planning estimates and change with winds, aircraft and the patient's needs.
What is involved in getting a patient from Phuket to Perth?
Phuket is one of the most popular holiday spots for West Australians, and Perth is the closest Australian city to it. Even so, at about 4,800 kilometres, the flight is further than Bali to Melbourne.
Many calls from Phuket are about injuries on holiday. The patient is often young, otherwise healthy, and wants to recover at home in Perth.
How long is the flight, and does it need a fuel stop?
A Gulfstream G550 flies Phuket to Perth nonstop in about six hours. The patient clears the Australian border in Perth and goes straight to the waiting ambulance.
A Hawker 800 cannot cover 4,800 kilometres in one leg with a medical crew on board. It stops once to refuel, usually in Indonesia, and the total trip runs to about eight hours. That can still be the right choice for a stable stretcher patient, and it costs less.
Perth is one hour ahead of Phuket all year, as neither observes daylight saving. That small difference makes it easy to coordinate the Thai and Perth doctors on the same working day.
Why do Australians need to come home from Phuket?
Scooter and jet ski accidents
Fractures, facial injuries and head injuries from scooters on the island's hilly roads, and from jet skis at the beaches.
Injuries in training camps
Muay Thai and fitness camps are popular with West Australians, and occasionally lead to serious injuries that need surgery.
Near-drownings
Rip currents on the west-coast beaches during the monsoon season cause near-drownings that leave patients needing intensive care.
Infections and tropical illness
Infected wounds, cellulitis and dengue fever that need hospital care beyond a short stay.
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 Phuket
Patients are usually at one of Phuket's private hospitals, such as Bangkok Hospital Phuket or Phuket International Hospital, or at Vachira Phuket Hospital, the main public hospital. Some are first treated at clinics in Patong or Kata and transferred.
A Phuket ambulance takes the patient to the aircraft at Phuket International Airport, in the north of the island. From Patong that can be 45 minutes or more in traffic, so we plan the pick-up time carefully.
In Perth
Royal Perth Hospital, Fiona Stanley and Sir Charles Gairdner take most major trauma and surgical cases in Perth. We confirm the accepting doctor and a bed before departure, or a private hospital if the patient is insured for one.
A road ambulance meets the aircraft at Perth Airport and the flight team hands over in person.
Does the patient need an air ambulance?
Scheduled options between Phuket and Perth change by season. Direct services run at some times of year, and at others the trip connects through Singapore, Kuala Lumpur or Bangkok. A stable patient may fly with a nurse escort, subject to each airline's medical clearance, but a connection adds time and a second clearance.
What documents are needed from Phuket to Perth?
Phuket to Perth needs the passport, an English medical report from the Phuket hospital, and insurance details. Many patients on this route were hurt on a motorbike, and Australian travel insurers often ask whether the rider held a valid motorcycle licence, so keep a copy of the licence and any police report with the claim papers.
Phuket's private hospitals see foreign patients every day and usually know what an air ambulance team needs: a discharge summary, imaging on disc and a fit-to-fly note from the treating doctor. Ask the accounts office whether it needs a payment guarantee before the patient leaves.
FAQ