General News
28 January, 2026
Toowoomba and Roma LifeFlight crews airlift record patients in 2025
The Toowoomba-based LifeFlight aeromedical crew airlifted close to 1,000 people in 2025, including stranded mountain climbers, injured motorists and people hurt in farming accidents.
The crew airlifted 960 people, up 6 per cent on the previous year.
Meanwhile, the LifeFlight Surat Gas Aeromedical Service helicopter, based at the LifeFlight Lee Family and Australian Country Choice Centre in Roma, airlifted an extraordinary 69.4 per cent more patients than 2024, helping 100 people in the Maranoa region alone.
Both helicopters helped a combined 10 per cent more patients across the 12 months, clocked up 1,536 flying hours and completed 1,043 missions.
Those airlifted with trauma-related injuries rose 6.6 per cent to 225, people with cardiac issues increased 9 per cent to 108 and patients injured by animals grew 8 per cent to 39.
The Toowoomba and Roma crews contributed to another overall record year for the aeromedical organisation, with 8,838 people helped by LifeFlight in 2025 which is 4.2 per cent higher than the previous year.
Both bases announced major new initiatives in 2025.
In April LifeFlight and SGAS partners reached a new two-year agreement for life-saving services in the Maranoa region.
The three SGAS partners - Origin Energy and Australian Pacific LNG, Santos, and Shell - also committed to increase the number of aeromedical service hours donated to the community from 150 to 350.
The following month LifeFlight raised more than $2 million at the annual Toowoomba LifeFlight gala and announced $1.8 million would go towards a new LifeFlight Visitor Experience and Education Centre.
Named in honour of LifeFlight supporter and philanthropist Clive Berghofer AM after a $1 million donation towards the building, it’s set to become a place where people can get a behind-the-scenes look at LifeFlight’s operation in Toowoomba and gain lifesaving skills through the First Minutes Matter workshops.
As in previous years, much of LifeFlight’s aeromedical work involved Inter-Facility Transfers or moving patients between medical facilities.
This ensures all communities have equal access to the best possible healthcare, no matter where they live.
