RFDS Queensland Section to acquire six new King Air 260Cs

By Andrew Curran.

The Queensland Section of Australia’s Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) will acquire six new King Air 260Cs from Textron Aviation. The aircraft will be delivered between 2028 and 2030.

The RFDS is made up of seven distinct legal entities, known as Sections, operating across a federated structure. The RFDS Queensland Section looks after over 22%, or approximately 1.723 million square kilometres, of Australia’s landmass.

The bulk of Queensland is remote and sparsely populated but the people who do live there or are passing through, still require access to medical services, much of which comes via the Royal Flying Doctor Service.

The globally renowned aeromedical retrieval specialists are already familiar with the twin-engine Beechcraft turboprops, operating 26 of them, including sixteen King Air B200 series aircraft, four King Air B350CHWs and six King Air B360s.

According to the RFDS Queensland Section’s 2024/25 Annual Report, those aircraft transferred around 13,000 patients that year. The same report referenced the need to update the fleet, saying the King Air 260Cs had been identified as the “optimal aircraft” to replace the “ageing” B200 aircraft.

King Air 260Cs the best choice to replace B200s

The same report details the year of manufacture for each aircraft operated by the RFDS Queensland Section. Three of the B200s were manufactured in 2004, four in 2006, three in 2007, one in 2009, three in 2010 and two in 2014.

The B200s have proved popular with the Royal Flying Doctor Service because they are light and able to handle the often short and rough runways around Queensland’s remote regions. The report says the incoming King Air 260Cs would still meet the specific operational requirements of the RFDS, including access to remote runways.

“This is an exciting new chapter in the RFDS (Queensland Section) fleet strategy and a once-in-a-generation investment in the future of aeromedical care,” said RFDS (Queensland Section) CEO Meredith Staib earlier this week.

“The new aircraft will be more powerful than its predecessor, helping our medical crews reach patients sooner and transfer them safely to the care they need.”

Specific requirements for RFDS aircraft

The existing King Air B200 series and B350CHW aircraft are configured with two stretcher beds and three seats, which can be used in various configurations.

Some of the aircraft are modified to replace the standard passenger door with a large cargo door for patient loading and unloading.

In addition to normal aircraft systems, RFDS aircraft are fitted with an additional battery to provide medical power, a medical oxygen and suction system, and an intercommunication system between the cockpit and medical staff in the cabin.

The standard aircraft installation allows for two pilots, although the Royal Flying Doctor Service typically operates the aircraft in a single-pilot configuration. A flight nurse is onboard for every flight and, in cases where the patient is seriously ill, a doctor is also present.

Queensland's HeliMods to do bespoke aircraft fitout

Sunshine Coast-based company HeliMods will modify the King Air 260Cs to RFDS specifications, including installing a bespoke aeromedical mission system. The aircraft will also have the latest avionics, navigation and safety systems, further improving operational capability and safety, while maintaining the capability to land and take off from shorter airstrips.

"Queensland’s size and remoteness present some of the most challenging healthcare delivery conditions anywhere in the world,” said HeliMods founder Will Shrapnel.“We’re focused on ensuring the platform delivers exceptional patient care, crew safety and operational capability, supporting access to critical healthcare services.”

The RFDS (Queensland Section) expects to take delivery of its first King Air 260C, with a full HeliMods fit-out, in 2028.

Photo: Royal Flying Doctor Service (Queensland Section).
Contact the writer: andrew@aerosouthpacific,com