The ADAC rescue helicopters took off to 51,347 emergencies last year – on average more than 140 times a day.
Compared to the record year of 2022, there were 4,328 fewer missions, but still a high number in a long-term comparison, as the ADAC Luftrettung in Munich announced. “Rapid help from the air has often made the difference between life and death in 2023,” said Managing Director Frédéric Bruder.
According to statistics, the most rescue flights were in Bavaria with 12,998, followed by Rhineland-Palatinate (8,761) and North Rhine-Westphalia (5,796). The non-profit company attributes the decline in the number of deployments to, among other things, the fact that tele-emergency doctors are now working more frequently and emergency paramedics are acting more independently than just a few years ago. Paramedics are now allowed to administer painkillers and other medications within certain limits without the presence of a doctor.
Accidents of all kinds
ADAC Luftrettung, founded in 1970, operates 37 helicopter stations with 55 helicopters, and the 38th is due to be added near Itzehoe in Schleswig-Holstein in July.
Accidents of all kinds – whether in traffic, at work, at leisure or in sport – account for around 30 percent of aerial rescue operations. According to statistics, heart attacks and other emergencies of the cardiovascular system follow in second place, with a share of over a quarter.
In addition to the ADAC, the second flying rescue service is DRF Luftrettung, whose aircraft took off for a total of 36,413 missions in 2023.
