Two specialized medical evacuation aircraft linked to an international Ebola evacuation mission departed from Chania International Airport in Crete on Tuesday, according to flight-tracking data and open-source monitoring accounts. Phoenix Air Gulfstream III aircraft N163PA and N173PA were tracked leaving Chania and heading towards Entebbe, Uganda, before continuing a mission associated with the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
According to Reuters, citing the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and German authorities, American missionary physician Dr. Peter Stafford, who contracted Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, was transferred to Germany for treatment at Berlin’s Charité Hospital.
Flight-tracking data reviewed by TO BHMA International Edition shows Phoenix Air aircraft N163PA and N173PA departing from Chania and heading towards Uganda, consistent with reports that specialized medical evacuation aircraft had been dispatched to transport several high-risk contacts to Europe. However, authorities have not publicly confirmed that the patient is aboard either aircraft, nor have they released operational details of the transfer.
Flight tracking data showed that Phoenix Air Gulfstream III aircraft N163PA and N173PA left Chania, bound for Entebbe, Uganda, before continuing their mission linked to the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
According to the flight radar, the aircraft will return to the Greek base after the mission on the African continent.
The patients are expected to be transferred to Berlin’s Charité Hospital, where German authorities confirmed preparations were underway to receive and treat the infected American citizen in a specialized isolation unit. According to CDC Ebola response manager Dr. Satish Pillai, one person will be quarantined in the Czech Republic, while the remaining individuals will be monitored in Germany.
The Chania International Airport is located adjacent to Souda Bay, home to a major U.S. military facility that serves as a strategic hub for American operations in the Eastern Mediterranean.
The mission comes as international health agencies intensify efforts to contain an outbreak of the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola in eastern Congo. The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak a public health emergency, while U.S. authorities have mobilized resources for treatment, monitoring and contact tracing.
Specialized Aircraft for Biological Emergencies
The two Gulfstream III jets used in the operation are operated by Phoenix Air, a U.S.-based aviation company is known for conducting highly specialized aeromedical missions around the world. It operates global passenger and cargo charter services, supporting corporate, military and air ambulance operations.
Its dedicated air ambulance fleet includes specially modified Learjet aircraft for domestic and international missions, as well as three civilian Gulfstream G-III jets equipped with factory-installed cargo doors. The larger Gulfstream aircraft can accommodate multiple patients, oversized medical equipment and VIP transport requirements while providing a spacious stand-up cabin for medical teams.
The company also provides medical transport services for the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Department of State, having safely evacuated government personnel across the globe for more than a decade.
Phoenix Air gained international recognition during the 2014–2015 Ebola outbreak, when it transported more than 40 infected patients using specialized biological containment systems.
Each aircraft is equipped with advanced medical systems, including intensive-care monitoring equipment, ventilators, video laryngoscopes, multi-channel intravenous pumps, suction systems, emergency medications and expanded oxygen capacity.
Phoenix Air holds accreditation from both the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems (CAMTS) and the National Accreditation Alliance of Medical Transport Applications (NAAMTA), placing it among a small number of air medical operators worldwide with full certification from both organizations.
Both aircraft are equipped with the Aeromedical Biological Containment System (ABCS), a portable isolation unit developed jointly by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Defense. The system allows medical teams to transport patients infected with highly contagious diseases while protecting crew members and preventing pathogen exposure.
