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🇮🇸 Iceland /Disasters & Emergencies

Icelandic Coast Guard Conducts Dual Long-Haul Medical Evacuations, Including to Greenland

From Morgunblaðið · () Icelandic

Translated from Icelandic, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Iceland's Coast Guard helicopters conducted two long-distance medical evacuations on the same day, one to Greenland.
  • A helicopter was dispatched to eastern Greenland to retrieve a sick passenger from a cruise ship.
  • The operations highlight the extensive range and capabilities of the Icelandic Coast Guard in remote rescue missions.

Iceland's Coast Guard experienced an exceptionally busy day, undertaking two lengthy offshore medical evacuations, including a mission to eastern Greenland. The extensive operations showcased the agency's reach and readiness to assist in critical situations far from its home base.

It's not every day that the Coast Guard responds to a call in Greenland, but it just so happened that our helicopters were the closest rescue.

— Ásgeir ErlendssonSpokesperson for the Icelandic Coast Guard, explaining the circumstances of the Greenland rescue mission.

On Thursday, a Coast Guard helicopter, TF-GRO, was dispatched to Greenland to retrieve a sick passenger from a cruise ship. The Nuuk Rescue Coordination Center requested Iceland's assistance, as the Icelandic helicopters were the closest available rescue assets. This mission followed an earlier evacuation that same day, where the same helicopter crew rescued a sick crew member from a passenger ship approximately 140 nautical miles northeast of Iceland.

Ásgeir Erlendsson, spokesperson for the Icelandic Coast Guard, described the day as "unusual," particularly given the two long-haul flights deep at sea. The helicopter first flew from Reykjavík to Akureyri for refueling, then proceeded to the ship to hoist the patient aboard before flying to Ísafjörður. After refueling and preparing for the next mission, the helicopter departed for Greenland, landing at Nerlerit Inaat Airport (Constable Point) to refuel again before reaching the cruise ship. The sick passenger was then transported back to the airport to await a medical flight to Iceland.

It was an unusual day, especially considering there were two long flights deep at sea.

— Ásgeir ErlendssonDescribing the demanding nature of the day's rescue operations.

Another Coast Guard surveillance aircraft, TF-SIF, accompanied the helicopter on these long flights. Erlendsson noted the excellent cooperation between Greenlandic, Danish, and Icelandic authorities in these remote areas. He also mentioned that a second helicopter and crew were kept on standby during these extensive medical evacuation operations.

Of course, it was gratifying that the Coast Guard could respond, but as you can see on the map, it was an extremely busy day for TF-GRO.

— Ásgeir ErlendssonHighlighting the extensive flight path and workload of the helicopter crew.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Morgunblaðið in Icelandic. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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