From air ambulance to VIP surgery: Why the Middle East is emerging as a global hub for medical tourism
November 27, 2025
The Middle East is strengthening its position as a global centre for medical tourism, air ambulance services, and deployable healthcare solutions. This is being driven by high demand from international patients, growing strategic investment from leading global healthcare providers and its geographic location at the crossroads between Europe, Africa and Asia.
Aviation meets medicine: Why the Middle East is rising
With aviation, healthcare and logistics converging to meet rising regional demand, there are three key reasons for the Middle East’s growing prominence in the medical aviation sector.
Firstly, the UAE and Saudi Arabia offer rapidly expanding world-class aviation logistics, air ambulance capabilities and increasing private healthcare infrastructure, making the region a prime destination for specialised patient transfer and treatment.
Secondly, there is rapidly growing demand from international patients. High-net-worth individuals from Europe, Asia and Africa are increasingly choosing the region for high-quality care, faster procedures and private treatment options.
Finally, destinations such as Dubai and Saudi Arabia are strategically positioned to respond to global health security and crises arising from geopolitical tension and natural disasters. From Asia to Africa and across the Middle East, the UAE and neighbouring states are well-positioned as a staging ground for humanitarian response, crisis deployment and medical logistics.
Aspen Medical: deployable hospitals, trauma care, and crisis response
From its headquarters in Canberra, Australia, Aspen Medical offers deployable healthcare, aeromedical evacuations and trauma management across the globe.
“From conflict-affected regions to natural disaster sites, Aspen Medical delivers fully equipped mobile hospitals, surgical teams and rapid-response aeromedical evacuations where traditional healthcare infrastructure is absent or overwhelmed,” explains the company’s CEO Craig Fitzgerald.
He also reveals that Aspen Medical has been active in the UAE for over 15 years, initially running the national ambulance service across Abu Dhabi and other emirates, except Dubai. Aspen continues to support both public health and military medical training in the region, while also operating global retrieval services.
Fitzgerald underlines that Aspen is the only private company in the world certified as an Emergency Medical Team (EMT) by the World Health Organisation. It is recognised for its capability to deploy fully functional hospitals, trauma care units, and outbreak management facilities in high-risk and conflict zones.
“We have three dedicated fixed-wing assets in Australia,” says Fitzgerald. “However, in other destinations, we lease aircraft, including rotorcraft, that are appropriate for the region and the mission. We don’t want to own a lot of aircraft, as they’re an expensive asset to purchase, service and maintain.”
Aspen’s operations span Iraq, Somalia, Sierra Leone, and Liberia, with services ranging from Ebola clinics and emergency trauma facilities to mobile hospitals that help stabilise national health systems. “By flying in and delivering modular, deployable healthcare and human medical staff, we are able to take the pressure off local health systems,” explains Fitzgerald. The company has conducted over 48,000 trauma operations in Mosul, Iraq, contracted by the UN.
Aspen has also played a key role in the UAE’s strategic health initiatives, supplying 4,000 nurses and critical care staff during COVID-19, and supporting the Australian Government in facilitating the Kabul evacuation. “We worked with the Australian Defence Force and Air Force to set up a clinic at Al Minhad Air Base with medical screening facilities and health checks of 700 Afghan refugees travelling to Australia and New Zealand,” says Fitzgerald.
Today, the UAE serves as a strategic hub for Aspen’s operations across Africa and the broader MENA region, where it is leveraging the country’s rapidly growing aviation infrastructure, regulatory stability, and growing healthcare investment.
FAI Aviation Group: Medical aviation for critical patients
According to Barbara Baumgartner, from FAI Aviation Group, the Middle East now accounts for 20% of the company’s global air ambulance and VIP charter revenue, making it one of the company’s most critical markets. With more than 23 years of presence in the region, FAI has deep-rooted operational and strategic ties across the Gulf.
FAI is globally recognised for handling complex air ambulance missions, including cases where patients require intensive care and specialised medical support during transport. The company’s success lies in its integration of clinical excellence, aviation expertise, and strict operational standards.
The group’s all-Bombardier air ambulance fleet includes Learjet 60s, Challenger 604s, which are equipped for virtually every critical care scenario, and a Global Express air ambulance.
During the Dubai Airshow, which took place 17-21 November 2025, FAI announced a new partnership with Medcare Royal Speciality Hospital, part of Aster DM Healthcare. “Marking a first-of-its-kind agreement, the deal strengthens FAI’s link between air and ground medicine in the UAE,” said Baumgartner.
The collaboration will enable Medcare to provide flight doctors for missions across the region, creating specialised air-medical teams trained to FAI’s standards. This, according to Baumgartner, “will enhance response times, operational efficiency, and overall patient care quality.”
