AirMed Wins Air Ambulance of the Year

VENICE, ITALY – November 12, 2007 (PR WEB) AirMed International (airmed.com) has taken home top international honors, winning the prestigious Air Ambulance of the Year Award at the 15th annual International Travel Insurance Awards Ceremony.

"We are extremely honored with this award from ITIJ,” said Jeffrey Tolbert, President and CEO of AirMed International. “It is our ongoing mission to provide exceptional transportation and patient care on a worldwide basis and to be recognized with this award is a tremendous acknowledgment of our efforts.” Birmingham, Alabama-based AirMed International was the only U.S. finalist for the award, competing against other well-respected companies from Canada and Europe.

The awards are presented by London-based Voyageur Group’s International Travel Insurance Journal (ITIJ) and were held this year at their annual conference in Venice. The ITIJ Awards represent the finest in the air medical fields as well as insurance underwriters, assistance companies and cost containment providers. Judging for the awards is performed by an impartial panel of experts in the global travel insurance and medical transport industries.

AirMed has also announced plans to open an international base in Hong Kong in early 2008, making it the first U.S. air ambulance company to operate a base in China. AirMed will also open offices in four cities in Southeast Asia, including Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore and Beijing. With the addition of the Hong Kong base, AirMed will be more equipped than most in the industry to provide specialty care in a wide range of specialties and a seamless transport package. A third Hawker 800 long-range aircraft will be based in Hong Kong, bringing AirMed’s total fleet to nine medically dedicated aircraft, and plans are underway to bring the fleet to eleven aircraft in 2008.

AirMed International is the country’s leading air ambulance service, offering unparalleled medical care and bedside-to-bedside transportation on a worldwide basis. AirMed flies more than 2,500 transport missions each year and boasts the most experienced medevac teams in the industry. Chosen as air medical transport for the world-renowned Mayo Clinic as well as a preferred carrier for the U.S. Department of Defense, AirMed operates a fleet of fully customized fixed-wing aircraft from its headquarters in Birmingham, Alabama, with additional bases in Honolulu, Hawaii, Rochester, Minnesota and soon, Hong Kong. For more information about AirMed International, see our website at airmed.com or call Sarah Hanley at 800-356-2161 or 205-443-4840.

Pictured (left to right) Brandon Bates, Jeffrey Tolbert and Mike Key accepting the ITIJ Air Ambulance of the Year Award in Venice, Italy.