Germany unveil Ebola patient evacuation Airbus A340 airplane

© Lufthansa Technik AG The first commercial airplane refitted to serve as an Ebola patient evacuation plane has been unveiled in the G...

The first commercial airplane refitted to serve as an Ebola patient evacuation plane has been unveiled in the German capital, Berlin.

German Federal Foreign Minister Dr Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Federal Minister of Health Hermann Gröhe accepted receipt of the world’s first evacuation aircraft for transporting and treating Ebola patients on behalf of the German government.

Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr handed over the Airbus A340-300 on Thursday 27 November. At the request of the German Federal Foreign Office, Lufthansa Technik converted what was previously a passenger aircraft called the “Villingen-Schwennigen” for this special humanitarian mission.

Under its new name, the “Robert Koch”, it now serves as the world’s only evacuation facility for highly contagious patients. Unlike the smaller aircraft that have been sporadically available to date, the facility can provide comprehensive intensive care on board.

The aircraft conversion, which started on 17 November in Hamburg, was carried out in partnership with the Robert Koch Institute (RKI). In the middle and rear of the long-haul aircraft, passenger seats, kitchen and washing areas, and baggage lockers were removed to make way for a patient transport isolation unit surrounded by an airtight tent with negative pressure. Inside, medics can provide patients with intensive care and treatment during the flight while remaining fully protected.

Two exterior tents, which are also airtight, serve as buffers so that the treatment tent can be entered and exited safely. At the front of the cabin, there are still seats for up to 19 passengers such as doctors, attendants from the RKI, isolation tent technicians and a Lufthansa engineer.