Loading Page...

How many RFDS planes are there in Australia?

The RFDS national fleet is 81 planes strong and is growing each year.



As of early 2026, the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) maintains a highly sophisticated fleet of approximately 80 to 85 aircraft stationed across Australia. This fleet is strategically distributed among more than 23 air bases to ensure that the service can reach anyone in the "Outback" or remote regional areas within a critical timeframe. The backbone of the RFDS fleet consists of the Beechcraft King Air (200, 350, and the newer 360 models) and the Pilatus PC-12, both of which are prized for their ability to land on unsealed, rugged airstrips in the middle of the desert. In recent years, the service has expanded its "jet" capabilities with the Pilatus PC-24 Super Versatile Jet, which acts as a "flying intensive care unit" and can significantly reduce transport times for critical patients between remote clinics and major city hospitals. This massive aerial operation reflects the RFDS's status as one of the world's largest and most comprehensive aeromedical organizations, providing emergency medical care and primary health services across a vast landscape of nearly 7.7 million square kilometers.

People Also Ask

The RFDS has established flight paths that reach across the Australian continent, with a fleet of 79 planes and 23 aero-bases.

MORE DETAILS

The Flying Doctor operates from numerous bases, health services and other facilities (including marketing, fundraising and public relations as well as the national office) across Australia.

MORE DETAILS

The show is filmed on location in and around Broken Hill, charting the dramatised lives of the doctors, nurses, pilots and support staff in the Royal Flying Doctor Service as they navigate retrievals across some of the most inhospitable places in the country.

MORE DETAILS

In an Australian first for the Flying Doctor, the five-year partnership will integrate two EC-145 helicopters into the RFDS fleet.

MORE DETAILS

The Presbyterian minister, the Reverend John Flynn, devoted his life to improving the welfare of Australians in the outback. In 1912 he contributed to the establishment of the Australian Inland Mission and, in 1928, the Aerial Medical Service.

MORE DETAILS

What airplane you fly as a pilot is determined by your seniority. The type of equipment a pilot is assigned to fly is based on their seniority. Pilots have the option to bid for a particular aircraft, just like they would their schedule or crew base.

MORE DETAILS