Lufthansa Technik’s Next Generation Patient Transport Unit (PTU NG) was displayed in a full-size exhibit together with medical equipment at Aircraft Interiors Expo, held on April 14-16, in Hamburg, Germany.
Developed within 14 months with Aerolite Max Bucher, four PTU NGs have already been delivered for integration into A380 and Boeing 747-8 aircraft.
Lufthansa Airline and undisclosed VIP completion customers are the launch customers for the first four PTU NGs in two different configurations. The PTU NG will be part of Lufthansa’s new Patient Transport Compartment (PTC), which can be installed on wide-body aircraft for global repatriation of patients. While the classic PTC has been offered for many years on Boeing 747-400, A340 and A330 aircraft, the new PTC will be introduced on Lufthansa’s A380 and the Boeing 747-8 once an STC is granted by EASA.
“Over the last 20 years Lufthansa Technik has proven to be a strong partner for medevac operators worldwide,” said Thomas Decher, vice president of VIP and executive jet maintenance, Lufthansa Technik. “The next-generation PTU, together with potential telemedical innovations, for example, will enable us to continue our unique success story by offering state-of-the-art aeromedical intensive care solutions as turnkey projects for our VIP and governmental customers around the globe.”
The PTU NG is designed to be low in weight, robust and to enable quick conversions, and its modular design can be customized to the specific requirements of each customer.
Besides various solutions for medical consumables storage, medical equipment can be mounted on a rack or on the PTU itself depending on the mission requirements, to be defined by medical teams. For ultra-long-range flights, the standard PTU NG features a bed for the patient, which can be replaced by a standard stretcher.
Lufthansa Technik says up to 13,000 liters of oxygen and an electrical power supply of approximately 1,600W allow for repatriation flights of more than 15 hours.
April 17, 2015
