Metrojet assists voluntary aeromedical organisation to deliver aircraft for life-saving missions

Hong Kong-based Metrojet Limited was delighted to provide flight operations and planning support to Pacific Mission Aviation (PMA)  in delivering two King Air 200 aircraft from the United States to Yap Island in Micronesia, where the non-governmental missionary organisation is based.

PMA previously operated twin-engine piston aircraft within the Micronesian islands providing voluntary maritime rescue and aeromedical services.  As it became impractical to continue operating the old piston-engine aircraft, PMA looked for options on the market and came across two King Air 200s in the US.  After understanding the meaningful life-saving mission of PMA, Samaritan’s Purse – the original King Air owner – decided to sell the aircraft at the price of $1 USD each to PMA, and offered training to their pilots and engineers.  Knowing that the missionary organisation needed international flight operations support, Metrojet’s Captain Stewart Borg offered the services of Metrojet’s Flight Dispatch team to PMA.  Rockwell Collins sponsored a 30-day free flight operation software license to PMA for them to fly the aircraft back to Yap.

“I am very pleased that we were able to offer our assistance and support to this meaningful organisation.  Metrojet is the longest serving business jet operator in Hong Kong and we are very grateful of the opportunity to give something back to society – to bring hope to those in need and to change lives,” said Captain Stewart Borg, Lead Captain at Metrojet Limited.

“Metrojet and Captain Stewart Borg impressed us with their connections and extensive experience with so many airports and ground handlers. People gladly move mountains for us because of the good relationship they have with the Metrojet team, and this is the mark of a company that has a good reputation in the region. We would like to thank all those involved for taking on such a worthy cause of assisting Pacific Mission Aviation with this new venture and believe that the positive impact on the lives of the Islands people will be seen for years to come! We count it a privilege to have worked alongside Metrojet in a small way to see this project through,” commented Mr Amos Collins, Director of Flight Operations and Captain Preston Huntting, Project-in-charge at Pacific Mission Aviation.

Pacific Mission Aviation was founded in 1974 by a German Luftwaffe pilot, Edmund Kalau, who moved to Micronesia after the war to be a minister.  After 20 years living in Yap, he saw a need for people from the remote islands of Micronesia to have more expedient transportation for medical emergencies.  And since several islands had old WWII runways, he raised the funds from donors in the U.S. and Germany and started PMA.  To this day, PMA has continued to offer free medical evacuations from the remote outer islands, as well as sea searches for the cost of fuel only, and a reliable affordable transportation service to and from the islands.