Fact-check: Punjab air ambulance not using 'decommissioned' planes

Online posts accuse the Punjab government of using an old and decommissioned airplane to transport patients under its air ambulance service, putting lives at risk.

The claim is incorrect.

Claim

Recently, the Punjab government bought a Gulfstream jet to replace its older aircraft. Thereafter, social media users claimed that its old plane, a Hawker 400XP, which the government had described as outdated and unfit for use to justify the purchase of the luxury jet, is now being used to transport patients under the provincial air ambulance service.

A video circulating on social media shows a guest on a news show arguing that the government is deliberately putting patients’ lives at risk by transporting them in a decommissioned aircraft.

An identical claim was also shared on Facebook here.

Fact

The aircraft being used to transport patients under the provincial air ambulance service are not old or decommissioned planes. The Hawker 400XP is also not being used for this purpose.

Rescue 1122, which works with the Punjab government to provide the air ambulance service, rejected the online claims.

Farooq Ahmed, spokesperson for Rescue 1122, told Geo Fact Check that claims regarding the use of old or decommissioned government aircraft are baseless. He added that the service is operated through a contract with the Shaheen Foundation, a welfare organisation of the Pakistan Air Force.

“Rescue 1122 currently utilises two functional aircraft: a Cessna 206 and a Piper Seneca,” he said.

Clarifying the financial model, the spokesperson said the Punjab government pays no fixed monthly or annual rent. Instead, payments are made strictly on a “per-hour flight” basis.

Geo Fact Check also spoke with flight instructors and pilots from Air Eagle Aviation, a subsidiary of the Shaheen Foundation, which provides the aircraft for the service.

A flight instructor and medevac pilot said the foundation has a formal contract with the Punjab government, and that the arrangement is exactly as described by Rescue 1122.

While Furqan Hussain, a senior pilot involved in the operation of the air ambulance service, provided further confirmation: “The service utilises a Cessna 206 and a Piper Seneca. These aircraft are specifically dedicated to the air ambulance mission under our contract with the Punjab government.”

Verdict: The claim that the Punjab government is using old or decommissioned aircraft, including the Hawker 400XP, for its air ambulance service is baseless. Officials from Rescue 1122 and pilots operating the service confirmed that only functional aircraft, a Cessna 206 and a Piper Seneca, are being used.

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