Image courtesy of Chiron Flight Services

How Chiron Flight Services helps save patients’ lives in the nick of time
Behind the scenes of dramatic aeromedical rescues lies a sea of red tape and unmissable payments.

In the aeromedical transport business, medical evacuation planners must prioritize the fastest, safest, and most efficient method of getting a patient to a medical facility for treatment.

“These missions depend on timely deployment of resources along the supply chain,” says Rowena Jong, “it is not uncommon that payment has to be made upfront before anything or anyone moves.”

Rowena is the CEO of Chiron Flight Services, an aeromedical transport company offering air ambulances and private jet charter for patients.

Medical emergencies are a time of great stress for patients and their loved ones, she says: “The worst thing that could happen to air ambulance operators is a delayed takeoff.”

An industry taking flight

Rowena spent 18 years teaching at the School of Mechanical & Aeronautical Engineering at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University.

Her anaesthetist husband Winston always had a keen interest in aeromedical transport and wanted to start his own business. He purchased two planes and asked Rowena if she would support his “hobby-turned-business” and be CEO of their venture Chiron Flight Services. 

Rowena said yes, and the rest was history. Chiron Flight Services was launched in 2005 with one chief pilot, one first officer, and one flight operator, and an account executive.

The business expanded to two pairs of full-time pilots; a five-member flight operations team to offer round-the-clock service; and contract pilots and aircraft for specialty missions. To meet the growing demand for aeromedical transport, the company has adopted an asset-light approach and even partnered with commercial airlines on missions. This approach has helped Chiron tremendously in supplying market demand.

The industry is burgeoning because more world travellers heading to increasingly exotic destinations inevitably leads to more incidents requiring evacuation for medical care.

New equipment such as drones and sea planes are also expanding the possibilities of aeromedical transport beyond conventional fixed and rotary wing aircraft. Rowena says Chiron Flight Services is investing heavily in portfolio expansion to remain competitive. 

New equipment can expand Chiron’s capabilities, but it doesn’t make payments simpler – and it turns out efficient payment methods can be equally critical to getting missions off the ground on time.

Dealing with deadly delays

Transporting a patient by air ambulance is not as simple as hopping on a flight. Once a mission is confirmed, the flight operations team and the medical crew must set several things in motion.

There are overfly and landing permits to be arranged with the aviation departments of each country on the planned flight path; fuelling and refuelling in the departing and destination airport; the medical team must make sure the appropriate medical equipment is onboard for the patient to be transported.

 “It’s like bringing a mobile ICU on board,” says Rowena, “we’ve transported patients in a neonatal incubator, an ECMO machine for those with life-threatening heart and lung failure, and in an isolation pod.” Air ambulances must also be well equipped with power outlets of the right voltage.

To expedite customs, immigration and quarantine matters for every aeromedical mission, the Chiron flight operations team tries to maintain visas for pilots and medical staff year-round. “Because we always want the entire aero medical entourage, pilots and medical crew to be able to fly immediately, we proactively renew their visas to prevent any delays.”

All these transactions must take place within scenarios where every second counts —  and before the aircraft has even taken off.

Smooth payment, smooth flights

Thankfully, American Express Corporate Payment Solutions help Chiron Flight Services guarantee timely transactions along this complex supply chain. “American Express helps us make and request payment more easily and faster,” says Rowena.

American Express’s integration with Xero also enables the company to consolidate and closely track its expenses for the long-term health of the business. There are even protections in place if staff misappropriate corporate cards.

“Air operators sometimes incur bad debt because patients refuse to pay after their transfer,” says Rowena. An unpaid flight can cost Chiron Flight Services a six-figure sum, “but a swipe of a corporate credit card can be a guarantee that gets urgent cases approved as soon as possible.”

With its delicate supply chain and operations secured, Chiron Flight Services can continue flying patients to safety for many years to come. 

“I always encourage my suppliers to approach American Express for a corporate card facility for their clients,” says Rowena.

Find out more about our Corporate Payment Solutions: Corp | American Express SG