Swiss Air-Rescue Rega Reports 2025 Figures: 36 Patients a Day, Global Demand for Air Medical Transport Keeps Climbing

Published: August 28, 2026  |  Category: Industry

According to the press release "36 patients per day: more Rega missions than in the previous year," published on the official website of Swiss Air-Rescue Rega on February 4, 2026, Rega crews provided medical assistance by air to 13,168 patients in 2025 — an average of 36 patients per day, 2.5 percent more than in 2024 and in line with the average trend of the last five years. As one of the world's largest air rescue and air medical transport organizations, Rega publishes annual mission figures that serve as a widely watched window into the demand curve for air medical transport. Based on that press release, this article recaps the key 2025 numbers and draws out three implications for the industry.

1. 15,265 Helicopter Missions: Primary Rescue Is Growing — and Hospital-to-Hospital Transfers Matter Just as Much

The press release reports that Rega's total helicopter missions reached 15,265 in 2025, up 3.7 percent year on year. Primary missions — rescues directly at the scene of an incident — increased to 9,127 (+5.0%), while secondary missions, i.e. transport flights between hospitals, numbered 2,591 (-5.1%). The two figures move in opposite directions, but together they highlight a frequently overlooked fact: air medical transport is not only about "getting the injured from the scene to the hospital." Hospital-to-hospital transfer flights that give critically ill patients access to better medical resources are equally routine demand. Over the full year, Rega's Operations Center organized a total of 20,463 missions — almost 800 more than in 2024, corresponding to a daily average of 56 and 7 percent above the five-year average — including missions organized for mountain rescuers from the Swiss Alpine Club (SAC) as well as livestock transports for Swiss mountain farmers. For a national network of just 14 helicopter bases, that dispatch density is a direct measure of how mature an air medical system has become.

2. 1,049 Ambulance Jet Missions: Cross-Border Medical Repatriation Is the Other Half of Air Medical

Outside Switzerland, 2,590 people experiencing medical problems abroad contacted Rega in 2025 (+1.5%); 1,234 of them were helped by telephone medical guidance, while 1,356 patients needed to be repatriated for medical reasons. Rega's three Challenger 650 ambulance jets spent more time in the air than in 2024: the jet crews flew 1,049 missions (+1.5%) and transported 1,046 patients (+1.7%), while 310 people returned home on scheduled commercial flights under medical supervision (-2.8%). The press release notes that whenever a patient's condition is sufficiently stable, other passengers are not affected, and enough seats are available, repatriation on a scheduled flight is a "cost-effective and ecological alternative" to the ambulance jet. This is standard practice across the medical repatriation industry: the choice between a dedicated ambulance jet and a commercial stretcher flight is not a question of tier — it is the conclusion of a medical assessment of the patient's condition.

3. Weather-Driven Fluctuations: Air Medical Transport Is Becoming Everyday Infrastructure

The press release also surfaces an easily overlooked detail: mission volume is highly correlated with the weather. June 2025 was relatively sunny and warm in Switzerland, and Rega crews flew 1,462 missions that month (+17.9%); July was rainier, and activity dropped to 1,736 missions (-8.0%). Demand fluctuates with seasons, weather and leisure activity, yet the annual total still set a new high — evidence that air medical rescue is shifting from "occasional emergency response" to "everyday infrastructure." Underpinning that always-on operation is Rega's sustained investment in its system: 24/7 coverage from 14 helicopter bases; the modernization of its fleet to 21 five-blade Airbus H145s (delivered between 2024 and 2026, fully replacing the AW109SP Da Vinci fleet and establishing a single-type fleet); and a navigation and avionics suite customized for Rega that enables instrument flight procedures in narrow alpine valleys even in poor visibility.

Disclaimer: This article is based on public information from the official website of Swiss Air-Rescue Rega (rega.ch; press release "36 patients per day: more Rega missions than in the previous year," published February 4, 2026, accessed August 28, 2026). Operational figures are subject to Rega's official publications. This article is shared for industry information purposes only and does not constitute medical or investment advice; the feasibility and specific plan of any air medical transport shall be determined by professional medical assessment.