Rega, also known as Swiss Air-Rescue, carries out helicopter and ambulance jet missions in Switzerland and abroad for those in need. The non-profit foundation celebrated its 70th anniversary this year and is supported by the financial contributions of more than 3.6 million patrons.
Rega was founded in 1952 by Rudolf Bucher under the umbrella of the Swiss Rescue Association (Schweizerische Lebensrettungsgesellschaft (SLRG)) in the canton of Bern. Seventy years later, it operates as an independent and privately-run foundation with around 400 employees who serve the Swiss population both at home and abroad.
The magic number to call: 1414. Overall, there are 14 helicopter bases spread out across Switzerland to ensure that any location – whether in a densely populated area or mountainous region – can be reached within 15 minutes. One of the key services is search and rescue. For example, when a hiker is reported missing and does not return in the evening.
The core mission has changed little since Rega’s founding. The Gazette de Lausanne described Rega as “the rescuers of the sky” in 1985. “The important thing for the Swiss Air-Rescue (REGA) is to make the public understand that our helicopters are much more than a means of transport,” wrote Sylvio Refondini, who headed Rega’s Lausanne office at the time. “They make it possible to move doctors in absolutely unrivalled times, then to transport injured people to exactly where they need to go, while administering to them the care their condition requires.”
Some of the critical operations in Rega’s history include an avalanche accident in Graubünden in 2015. Seven members of a ski touring group were buried on Mt. Vilan and three Rega rescue helicopters were dispatched from Untervaz, Mollis and St. Gallen. Another large-scale operation took place in December 2004 when a tsunami in South East Asia presented Rega with “one of the greatest challenges in its history”. Three ambulance jets were deployed to Thailand and Sri Lanka and more than 60 patients were flown back to Switzerland within a week.
A record year
2021 was the busiest year for Rega to date. From its operations centre at Zurich Airport, over 18,000 missions were organised with its fleet of rescue helicopters and ambulance jets. This translated to about 50 missions per day on average. “The increase in repatriations is due to the increased travel activity of the population compared to the first year of the pandemic,” states the organisation.
Altogether, over 12,000 patients were cared for. “In general, our mission figures fluctuate and depend, among other things, on weather conditions and the leisure and travel behaviour of the Swiss population and tourists,” notes Zellweger. She adds that bad weather still remains the biggest obstacle for its operations preventing some 600 patients from being treated every year.
One of the ways to combat fog and snowfall includes a nationwide network of flight routes that are stored on computers. This allows helicopter pilots to follow a route even when visibility is low. Other tools include thermal imaging cameras and mobile radio detectors, which can locate a missing person’s phone even in areas without coverage.
