REVA accomplishes complex mission to transport COVID-19 patients home

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- On the morning of April 17th, REVA successfully delivered the last of 15 passengers to their respective homes from Aurora Expedition's cruise ship in Montevideo, Uruguay.

Of the passengers, six were US citizens, three from Great Britain, two from Sweden, and the remainder were citizens of Canada, France, Germany and Switzerland. These individuals required medevac transport after their cruise ship, the Greg Mortimer, was required to anchor in Montevideo, Uruguay. The REVA team worked very closely with the ship owner and cruise company Aurora Expeditions to ensure that the guests and staff were comfortable and cared for during the entire journey home.

The passengers were on an Antarctica expedition, following the trail of explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton. Its 16-day Antarctic cruise was cut short due to the spread of coronavirus on the vessel and had been at anchor since March 27. The ship had spent more than two weeks off the port of Montevideo with more than 200 people aboard, among whom more than 100 cases of coronavirus infection were detected.

This complex charter posed many unique challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, as more than half of the passengers had tested positive for the virus. This required cooperation with the CDC, local Quarantine Officers, and REVA's Medical Team to ensure all passengers were transported safely, with limited exposure to crew and the public. During this global pandemic, the rules for international travel and medical transport have changed drastically and require extensive planning. Steve Williams, Director of Medical Operations stated, "This was certainly a logistical challenge more from an operational perspective than a medical one, but we have an amazing support team in our Dispatch Department who coordinated the multiple agency approvals".

REVA's Operations Team in conjunction with Aurora Expeditions coordinated the charter of a Boeing 737 to transport the passengers from Berisso International Airport (SUMU) to Miami International Airport (KMIA).

Upon arrival at Miami International Airport, the U.S and Canadian Citizens were transferred to a REVA Learjet 35 and REVA Learjet 45XR. The two aircraft then continued on to Phoenix, Chicago, and Vancouver. The remaining eight passengers on the 737 aircraft, EU citizens, continued on to East Midlands Airport (EGNX). Upon arrival in the UK, the 737 aircraft was met by a REVA Hawker 800XP. REVA conducted a wing to wing operation with the passengers and safely transported the EU citizens on the final leg of their journey.

Each flight was staffed with a REVA Medical professional to ensure their safety and comfort, "It's important that we as medical providers be there for these individuals. Offering reassurance to those who have COVID-19 and their families, will help alleviate fear, panic and anxiety. We have a duty to comfort and be there for all of these passengers," said Sean Bryan, Assistant Director of Medical Operations at REVA.

"This was an extremely complex mission that was conducted with unwavering focus and care. The REVA team is trained and prepared to handle these situations. We are glad that we were able to facilitate the safe transport of these 15 individuals back to their homes. It has been a truly rewarding experience for our team" said Shannon Schell, President and CEO at REVA.

REVA, Inc.
2101 West Commercial Blvd, Suite 5100
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309
954-730-9300
www.flyreva.com
Contact: Douglas Weisz

REVA, Inc., owner-operators of a fleet of 16 medically-configured aircraft, including small and mid-size jets, employs over 350 air-ambulance-service professionals who deliver caring, efficient, fully-accredited medical care from bases throughout North America, including the Caribbean. REVA, Inc., has completed more than 30,000 medical transports that include time-sensitive organ deliveries, trauma response, and intensive-care connections, in addition to private charters associated with medical tourism, cruise-line passenger emergencies, and philanthropic efforts. REVA, Inc. has earned over a dozen top industry honors and recognitions from the Department of Defense, NAAMTA, EURAMI, International Assistance Group, ARGUS Platinum as well as the AAMS Fixed Wing Award of Excellence, ACE Safety Award, ITIJ 2015 Air Ambulance Provider of the Year Award and ITIJ 2018 Air Ambulance Provider of the Year Award Finalist.

REVA, Inc. and its air-ambulance services are licensed by U.S. and international agencies including U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (Certificate #O2JA595N Operated by REVA, Inc.), Canadian Transportation Agency International; EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency) Approved Third Country Operator, TCO Code USA-0042; and U.S. Treasury Cuban operation authorization. Through individual and corporate affiliations, the staff and fleet uphold professional performance standards.

This release was published on openPR.