With the expansion of helicopter fleets and the surging number of helicopter bases, the demand for air ambulance services is growing rapidly, especially in the developing nations such as India and China. Moreover, the governments of many countries are actively focusing on providing these services, especially in the remote regions that are accident-prone and don’t have access to medical facilities. These services allow people to get access to healthcare and medical treatment in these regions.
In addition, many leading public and private hospitals all over the world are increasingly focusing on providing air ambulance services, under partnerships with various operators. As a result, these operators are rapidly procuring helicopters and expanding their fleet size. Apart from this factor, the rising incidence of diseases that require immediate medical care and the surging population of ageing people in several countries are also pushing up the demand for air ambulance services across the world.
The increasing usage of electric and hybrid VTOL aircraft is another major opportunity area witnessed in this industry. Presently, many aerospace firms are focusing on designing these aircrafts. The commercialization of these aircrafts will generate immense growth opportunities for aircraft operators, as they will be able to provide air transport services at low operational costs. This will, in turn, propel the advancement of the global air ambulance services market.
As a result, the market value will grow from $8.9 billion in 2019 to around $15.9 billion by 2030. Furthermore, as per P&S Intelligence, the market will advance at a 5.4% CAGR from 2020 to 2030. The two most commonly used aircrafts for air ambulance services are rotary-wing and fixed-wing aircrafts. Between these, the demand for the rotary-wing aircrafts was found to be higher during the last few years.
This was because of the fact that these aircrafts were extensively used for medium- and short-distance transport, primarily within a state/province or city. Hospital-based and community-based are the major types of air ambulance services provided globally. Between these, the demand for the hospital-based services will rise rapidly in the coming years. This will be because of the fact that numerous public health centers are increasingly providing air ambulance services in emergency situations, especially in the developing countries.
Geographically, the popularity of air ambulance services is predicted to surge sharply in North America in the coming years. This will be a result of the fact that the number of road accident victims and critical patients, requiring immediate patient care and medical treatment, is increasing rapidly in both Canada and the U.S. In addition to this, these services are highly affordable in this region, on account of the presence of several leading industry players in the regional countries.
Hence, it can be safely said that the demand for air ambulance services will boom in the forthcoming years, mainly because of the growing burden of accidents and injuries in the remote areas, increasing number of patients requiring immediate medical assistance in accident-prone areas, surging number of helicopter bases and fleets, and the mushrooming geriatric population in several countries.
Source: P&S Intelligence
