Air Rescue Group

What Air Rescue Group does

Air Rescue Group is a private air ambulance and medical evacuation services provider that has operated continuously since 2000 from Lanseria Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa, serving patients across 60+ countries in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. It functions as a subsidiary within the AEA International Holdings / International SOS corporate group, which provides back-office infrastructure, multinational insurer relationships, and corporate duty-of-care distribution channels. The company has completed 6000+ missions over its 25+ year operating history and holds EURAMI accreditation for regional and long-haul critical care transport, alongside ISO 9001, ISO/IEC 27001, and ISO/IEC 27701 certifications.

Its core product suite comprises four integrated services: dedicated air ambulance flights operating 24/7, bed-to-bed medical evacuation with ground ambulance coordination at origin and destination, and commercial medical escort services on scheduled airlines for medically stable patients. The underlying technology is operational rather than digital — flight doctors and nurses trained in aviation medicine, integrated cross-border logistics for medical clearances and flight permissions, and direct billing protocols with insurance and assistance company partners.

The business model is fee-for-service professional services with quote-based pricing determined by mission specifics (distance, aircraft type, medical crew requirements, patient acuity). Revenue flows through three streams: direct air ambulance mission fees, commercial medical escort fees, and transaction-fee direct billing with international health and travel insurance providers. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales, coordinating directly with insurers, assistance companies, and corporate clients rather than consumer marketing, with mission coordination executed through a 24/7 emergency phone line and the International SOS subscriber portal.

Name

Air Rescue Group

Legal name

AEA International Holdings. Pte. Ltd

Website

https://airrescuegroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Air Rescue Group is a EURAMI-accredited air ambulance and medical evacuation provider operating 24/7 since 2000 from Johannesburg across 60+ countries in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, serving insurers, assistance companies, and corporate clients as part of International SOS.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Air Ambulance Services

NAICS

Nonscheduled Air Transportation (4812), Other Nonscheduled Air Transportation (481219), Nonscheduled Chartered Passenger Air Transportation (481211)

SIC

Air Transportation, Nonscheduled (4522)

akta.pro primary industry

Air Medical Transport (Helicopter/Fixed-Wing) (HLAFANAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Air Ambulance & Medical Passenger Charter Operators (THABADAK), Medical Air Transport (Air Ambulance/Patient Transfer) (TLAFABAG), Emergency Medical Services (EMS) & Ambulance Services (BPAIAGAC)

Keywords

• Air ambulance services
• Medical evacuation
• Critical care transport
• Bed-to-bed transfer
• Medical escort services

Headquarters

HQ city

Dubai

HQ country

United Arab Emirates

HQ region

Middle East

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Air Ambulance Medical Evacuation Services: Fee-for-service medical evacuation operations providing urgent evacuations, long-range intercontinental missions, and critical care transport with clinical continuity and aviation safety
2. Medical Escort Services: Arrangement of qualified medical escorts on commercial airlines for lower-acuity stable patients as a cost-effective alternative to dedicated air ambulance
3. Insurance and Assistance Company Partnerships: Direct billing arrangements with international health and travel insurance providers, facilitating approvals and managing claims processing for medical evacuation benefits

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Air Rescue Group operates dedicated air ambulances strategically based across Africa, the Middle East, and Asia to provide 24/7 emergency medical evacuation and critical care transport services. The company delivers a comprehensive bed-to-bed service encompassing ground ambulance coordination at both origin and destination, flight medical crews, and clinical continuity from referring facility to receiving hospital. Complementary offerings include commercial medical escorts on scheduled airlines for medically stable patients as a cost-effective alternative to dedicated air ambulance transport.

Product overview

Air Rescue Group offers a comprehensive suite of air ambulance and medical evacuation services as a unified service offering. The core portfolio consists of Air Ambulance (24/7 dedicated emergency medical flights), Medical Evacuation (intercontinental bed-to-bed transport with clinical continuity), Ground Ambulance Coordination (managing full patient journey from hospital to hospital), and Commercial Medical Escort (medical supervision on scheduled airlines for stable patients). Services operate from Lanseria Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa, with strategic coverage across Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, serving 60+ countries with EURAMI-accredited standards.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Air Ambulance 24/7 emergency medical air transport service providing critical care evacuation with dedicated air ambulances strategically based across Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Targets patients requiring urgent medical evacuation, corporate clients with duty of care obligations, and insurance/assistance company policyholders.
• Medical Evacuation Bed-to-bed air evacuation service encompassing urgent evacuations to long-range intercontinental missions, ensuring clinical continuity and aviation safety throughout every transfer. Serves patients, insurers, assistance companies, and corporate clients across Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.
• Ground Ambulance Coordination Bed-to-bed service encompassing ground ambulance coordination at both origin and destination, managing the full patient journey from referring facility to receiving hospital. Included as part of the comprehensive evacuation package.
• Commercial Medical Escort

Quantifiable outcome

• 6000+ successful missions completed
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Insurance CompaniescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAir Rescue works closely with international health and travel insurance companies to facilitate medical evacuation approvals and direct billing arrangements. Insurance providers serve as channel partners who facilitate access to Air Rescue's air ambulance services as part of policyholder benefits.
• Assistance CompaniescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership with international medical and travel assistance companies who coordinate emergency evacuation services for their clients. These companies facilitate approvals, manage logistics coordination, and handle direct billing with Air Rescue.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• European Air Ambulance (EAA): Luxembourg-headquartered air ambulance provider operating dedicated air ambulance missions across Europe, Africa, and worldwide. Directly comparable in long-range medical repatriation and EURAMI-equivalent accreditation.
• AirMed International: US-based air medical transport company operating a global fleet for emergency medical evacuations and commercial medical escorts. Comparable in offering both dedicated air ambulance and commercial medical escort services.
• FAI Air Ambulance: Germany-based FAI Aviation Group operates an air ambulance division providing worldwide medical evacuations and repatriations. Comparable in dedicated fleet, global coverage, and bed-to-bed mission coordination.
• Tyrol Air Ambulance: Austria-based air ambulance operator offering worldwide long-range medical repatriation and evacuation services with EURAMI accreditation. Closely comparable in accreditation, mission profile, and international intercontinental focus.
• REVA, Inc. US-headquartered fixed-wing air ambulance operator providing worldwide medical evacuations with ICU-configured aircraft and bed-to-bed coordination. Directly comparable in service model, mission profile, and international medical transport positioning.

Others

• Medical Air Services Association of South Africa (MAASA): Industry association coordinating accredited air ambulance operators across South Africa. Not a direct competitor but a relevant ecosystem participant given Air Rescue's South African base and EURAMI-aligned standards.

Emerging players

• Jet Rescue Air Ambulance: Mexico-based air ambulance operator offering international medical repatriation and evacuation services. Comparable in dedicated ICU-configured aircraft and worldwide mission coverage with a more regional operational base.
• Universal Air Evac: US-based air ambulance provider focused on international medical evacuations and bed-to-bed patient transport. Comparable in dedicated air ambulance operations and insurance network coordination.

Regional players

• AMREF Flying Doctors: Africa-focused air ambulance operator providing medical evacuation across East Africa and beyond. Highly relevant regional peer given Air Rescue's Africa-centric positioning and Indian Ocean islands coverage.

Broad incumbents

• Medjet: US-based air medical transport and travel protection membership program with global hospital-to-hospital evacuation capabilities. Comparable in end-to-end evacuation service but differentiates via membership model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/IntlSOS
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/intlsos
• Facebookfacebook.com/InternationalSOS
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/air-rescue-group
• Instagraminstagram.com/intlsos

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Air Rescue Group