ARA Flugrettung

ARA Flugrettung is a non-profit air rescue company in Klagenfurt am Wörthersee, Austria. It flies emergency doctor helicopters for medical calls and rescues in the Alps.

Services

ARA flies emergency medical missions all year. Its crews also do winch rescues in mountain terrain and night flights. The company holds an air operator certificate. It works with the Carinthian Red Cross and is a member of IKAR, the international commission for alpine rescue.

Aircraft and bases

The helicopters are Airbus H145 models with a fixed rescue winch. A normal crew has four people: a pilot, a winch operator, a flight paramedic and an emergency doctor. The bases are Fresach and Nassfeld in Carinthia and Reutte in Tyrol. Nassfeld is a seasonal base that is staffed in the ski season. Reutte is at the district hospital.

Coverage area

The helicopters cover alpine and regional areas of Austria. The site says crews also fly night winch missions into neighboring Bavaria.

Fleet news

The site says the first H145 in Austria with a five-blade rotor joined the fleet in 2025 and is based at Nassfeld. Fresach was the first base and has flown an H145 since 2018. A support association also raises money for the work.

Facts

• Founded in 2001
• Majority owner: DRF Luftrettung, and the company is part of the DRF Luftrettung group
• Legal form: non-profit GmbH
• Head office on Flughafenstraße in Klagenfurt
• Three bases: Fresach, Reutte and Nassfeld