ITIC Global 2026 Air Ambulance Forum: Speakers Say Fair Value Means Looking Beyond the Cheapest Quotation

A session at ITIC Global 2026 in Istanbul (1–5 November 2026) examined how digital information-sharing platforms are changing the quoting and booking of air medical transport missions. The panel featured Nicolas Torchin of Redion, Yasin Faysal Kılıçaslan of Redstar Aviation, Anne Rodenburg of USMX AirLink Ambulance and Volker Lemke of FAI Air Ambulance, and was moderated by ITIJ Editor-in-Chief Ian Cameron.

Torchin, Redion's Global Head of Network and GPPO, said provider selection is no longer only a question of availability or price. The industry has moved from relationship-led, locally managed sourcing to a globally connected marketplace, and Redion has shifted from locally managed networks to a global governance model combining shared technology and decision frameworks with regional expertise. He said assistance companies weigh clinical suitability, operational reliability, patient pooling, aircraft capacity, flight hours, empty-leg opportunities, preferred routings and long-term partnerships.

Kılıçaslan, Operational Sales Manager at Redstar Aviation, argued that digital procurement platforms should be integrated with providers' operational systems, drawing on real-time data on aircraft availability, positioning, crew status and mission requirements. He warned that airspace restrictions, traffic and patient needs can change quickly, and that information accurate six months ago may be outdated. "The fastest quotation is not always the fastest mission," he said, noting that a slower or costlier quote can deliver a more efficient transfer through better positioning.

Rodenburg, Commercial Director at USMX AirLink Ambulance, said digital platforms give smaller regional operators access to international insurers and assistance companies, but raised concerns about commoditisation. She questioned whether standardised comparisons capture regional expertise, cultural understanding and mission history, using Mexico as an example of customs, regulatory and ethical challenges, including bribe requests, that regional providers are better placed to anticipate.

Lemke, Managing Director of FAI Air Ambulance, illustrated the limits of price comparison with two hypothetical quotations for the same route, each priced at €135,100: one included an intensive care physician, ICU nurse, ventilator and advanced monitoring, while the other offered a flight nurse, paramedic and an advanced life support setup. In a second example, the cheaper of two apparently identical quotes involved a 28-day wait. "The cheapest quote is not the cheapest case," he said, describing AI as "a good co-pilot, but not a pilot".