Transport Helicopter Squadron receives award of Smokvica

The recognition and formal plaquette was presented on the Commander of the Squadron and the Mi-8 MTV crew captain, Major Ante Siniša Kozina by the Mayor of the Municipality, Lenko Salečić at the formal session of the Smokvica Municipality Council of, held on the occasion of marking the  Municipality Day and the Candlemass Day.
On receiving the award Major Kozina underlined that in the course of  2016 a total of 526 patients were transported on  500 flying hours, 180 of which were from the island of Korčula (101 from the helidrome in Blato and 79 from the helidrome in Korčula).

“The residents of Smokvica and the entire island can in future too rely on the full readiness of the flying crews of the Croatian Air Force and Air Defence, which keep a 24-hour duty throughout the year. The 2016 figures reveal that the helicopters took off transporting patients from Korčula every other day“, said Major Kozina.

Emergent medical flights for the residents of Smokvica and the visitors are organised by helicopters from the closest helidrome in Blato in the island of Korčula  to the University Hospital Centre in Split or other medical institutions in Croatia. They are most frequent during the tourist season, and take half an hour, which is why this is the fastest rescue  modality.