Virgin Atlantic aims to save lives and reduce flight diversions after upgrading its on-board medical equipment through a partnership with German tech company CardioSecur.
All aircraft will now be equipped with the world’s smallest and lightest mobile electrocardiography (ECG) kit, the airline revealed.
Chief customer and operations officer Corneel Koster said: “The upgrade to this new state-of-the-art mobile ECG capability on board of all our aircraft clearly demonstrates further leadership in shaping the future of customer health and I’m proud to be the first UK airline to offer CardioSecur’s new kit.”
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The carrier said cardiovascular events are the most common cause of medical flight diversions.
In the early 2000s, the airline became the first in the world to have an entirely ECG-equipped fleet. It remains the only UK carrier to have ECG capability in the air.
The CardioSecur deal will see the medical tech provider offer its expertise through an app-based solution to address serious in-flight medical issues.
The compact, intuitive system – weighing 50 grams – will allow cabin crew to record 12-lead ECGs and send the results via Wi-Fi and satellite to a ground-based medical service.
The airline said the speed and sophistication of the kit will provide the aircraft with critical feedback, detailing next medical steps, including whether a diversion is needed or not.
The technology uses a vectorcardiography-based system which performs a comprehensive 12-lead ECG with only four pick-up points on the body, Virgin Atlantic added.
Koster said: “Our work with CardioSecur underpins our continued commitment to customer health, which will always be our top priority.
“We were proud to be the first airline in the world to have a fully ECG-equipped fleet and we’ve continued to remain at the forefront of aviation medicine.”
CardioSecur founder Felix Brand, the company’s chief executive, said: “We are thrilled to collaborate with Virgin Atlantic, a visionary airline that shares our commitment to leveraging cutting-edge technology to enhance passenger and crew safety.
“Our partnership will empower airlines to provide swift and accurate support in medical emergencies and make a significant impact on in-flight healthcare.”