SAS and the Norwegian Armed Forces have renewed their long-standing Medevac partnership through to 2027, reinforcing a civil–military collaboration that has become a critical component of Europe’s medical evacuation capability. The extension, approved by the Norwegian Government, ensures continued access to a highly specialised airborne medical service that has supported the transport of thousands of wounded and critically ill patients from the war in Ukraine.
The renewed agreement with the Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency formalises SAS’s ongoing role in providing dedicated Medevac capability for international missions coordinated by Norwegian and European authorities. The operation is built on close cooperation between SAS flight crews, trained for complex medical evacuations, and specialist medical personnel from the Norwegian Armed Forces Medical Services (NAFMS), who lead the missions. This enables the rapid and safe transport of patients requiring advanced care.
“This mission has shaped SAS in a profound way. Operating an aircraft with this level of medical capability and readiness requires a combination of experience, precision and trust that is rare in commercial aviation. Our crews bring an extraordinary sense of purpose to these flights, knowing that every mission directly impacts lives in a way few other operations do. We are deeply grateful for the confidence placed in SAS to carry out work of this nature, and immensely proud of the professionalism and humanity our teams demonstrate every time they step into this role,” says Anko van der Werff, President & CEO, SAS.
At the core of the operation is a specially configured Boeing 737 equipped with beds, intensive care capacity and specialised medical infrastructure. The aircraft can be rapidly adapted for different mission types and is maintained in close cooperation with the Norwegian Armed Forces to ensure continuous readiness.
Over the past three years, this capability has played a central role in transporting thousands of wounded and critically ill Ukrainian patients from Poland to hospitals across Europe. These missions form part of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism and highlight the value of combining civilian aviation expertise with military medical capability.
