Quebec launches provincial air ambulance service to speed interhospital transfers
Quebec’s new air ambulance service began operations on June 15, 2026, providing interhospital helicopter transport from a base at Jean‑Lesage Airport to improve access to specialized care. The Quebec air ambulance service is part of the province’s EVAQ aeromedical evacuation program and will complement existing ground and air emergency services. Officials say the program will shorten transport times for patients in regional hospitals and free up other prehospital resources.
Base operations start at Jean‑Lesage on June 15, 2026
The first operational base for the provincial air ambulance service is located at Québec City’s Jean‑Lesage Airport and went into service on June 15, 2026. From that site, crews will be dispatched to pick up patients at regional hospitals and deliver them to specialized centres more quickly than by road. A second base at Mirabel is scheduled to be operational this fall, expanding the program’s footprint across southern Quebec.
Initial coverage and regional rollout plans
Service from the Québec City base will cover the Capitale‑Nationale, Chaudière‑Appalaches and Bas‑Saint‑Laurent regions immediately, with Saguenay scheduled to be added by the end of summer 2026. Authorities say the air ambulance will be used primarily for transfers between hospitals located 75 to 250 kilometres from major centres when a helicopter is faster than an ambulance. Over the coming years, officials plan to gradually include additional regions in the operational radius of the two bases.
Aircraft fleet, contractor and daily hours
Summit Helicopters, a Kamloops, B.C. company, has been contracted to operate the service and will station three Bell 412 helicopters across the Québec and Mirabel bases. The aircraft are capable of covering roughly 250 kilometres in about 90 minutes, according to Martin Beaumont, CEO of the CHU de Québec and Santé Québec. For now, the service will operate 12 hours per day, seven days a week, with the potential to adjust hours as demand and logistics evolve.
Purpose: faster access to critical care and system relief
Health authorities say the air ambulance program is designed to reduce delays in accessing critical and specialized care, improving patients’ chances of survival and recovery. By shifting certain interhospital transfers to dedicated helicopters, the service is also expected to free up ground and other air emergency assets for first‑response duties. Santé Québec framed the new capability as a targeted tool for time‑sensitive transfers from regional hospitals to centres that offer specialised trauma, cardiac or neonatal services.
Infrastructure investments and planned helipads at regional hospitals
The provincial government has signalled plans to build helipads at major regional hospitals to save time on patient transfers, including a helipad planned for Hôpital de l’Enfant‑Jésus in Québec City. The initial phase centers on establishing reliable bases and aircraft operations, while the construction of hospital helipads will proceed to shorten on‑site transfer times. Those infrastructure additions are intended to ensure faster patient loading and better integration between hospital and air crews.
Program cost and funding scope
Quebec estimates the program’s current cost at roughly $125 million, a figure that covers the operation of the bases and the contract with Summit Helicopters. That allocation reflects capital and operational expenses tied to aircraft leasing or purchase, staffing, maintenance and support infrastructure. Officials say further investments may be required as the service expands to additional regions and as helipads are constructed at more hospitals.
The introduction of the provincial air ambulance marks a significant change in how interhospital transfers are handled in Quebec, prioritizing speed for time‑critical cases and aiming to bolster the province’s overall emergency response capacity.
