Medical evacuations | The Government Air Service is in trouble

The Government Air Service (SAG) is in trouble. The exodus of pilots to the private sector combined with the obsolescence of the fleet is causing a surge in the use of subcontracting, we have learned The Press. Quebec is preparing to spend millions of dollars to avoid interruptions to medical flights and aeromedical evacuations.

Due to “unpredictable breakdowns” and a “lack of manpower”, essentially attributable to the shortage of pilots affecting the airline industry, the Ministry of Transport of Quebec (MTQ), which oversees the SAG, took less than six months to exhaust all funds ($700,000) from a subcontract that was to cover a full year.

It is not finished. We are now preparing to pay up to 7 million by May 2025 to four subcontractors – Air Inuit, Sky Jet, Propair and Air Médic –, data obtained under the Act respecting access to documents held by public bodies and the protection of personal information. Since 1^er Last May, the date the most recent agreement was concluded, nearly $1.1 million has already been disbursed.

“The Department is facing significant challenges in terms of workforce and the aging of its aircraft fleet,” recognizes its spokesperson, Émilie Lord. The Ministry is currently working on replacement scenarios to ensure the sustainability of services. »

In the current state of affairs, some observers wonder if the time has not come to reflect on the relevance, for Quebec, of continuing to assume responsibility for air medical transport.

At the time of writing, the MTQ had not specified whether this scenario was under study. For its part, the Quebec Public and Parapublic Service Union (SFPQ) believes that relying solely on the private sector would open the door to abuse and that it would end up costing taxpayers more.

At the end of life

The SAG is responsible for air medical transport, fighting forest fires (with its air tankers) and other aerial activities, such as collaboration with the Sûreté du Québec (SQ) thanks to its helicopters. The issue of subcontracting seems to mainly concern the medical air transport niche.

According to our information, two of the four aircraft, Challenger 601 jets built by Bombardier in 1989 and 1994 respectively, have exceeded more than half of their useful life, i.e. more than 15,000 flight hours out of the 30,000 limit. hours. This shortens maintenance schedules. Challengers – used in particular during emergency evacuations – are therefore found more often in the workshop.

In 2017, THE Quebec Journal reported that SAG paid around 1.8 million to procure a used Challenger private jet from the United States to dismantle it to use its parts in an effort to rejuvenate parts of its own planes. The bill could be hefty for the MTQ if it decided to purchase new devices or on the second-hand market. We would potentially have to spend tens of millions for a new jet.

Difficult to retain pilots

Alongside the age of the Challengers, SAG is struggling to retain its drivers. Since 1^er Last April, eight people capable of piloting government planes – the Challenger and Dash 8 – left the ranks. As of September 25, only 28 remained, which represents 14 crews. This is a decline of 22% in 6 months.

“Morale is not strong,” says the general president of the SFPQ, Christian Daigle. Our turnover rate was 30% in 2022. You need about 40 pilots to keep things running smoothly.

According to government data, a business jet captain can pocket $110,000 annually. For a co-pilot, the ceiling is set at $75,000. In the opinion of the union, this is not enough to slow down the exodus towards the private sector. The salary of an airline pilot is much higher within a large airline, argues Mr. Daigle.

In this context, the time has perhaps come to assess whether the game is worth it in terms of medical air transport, believes Jacques Roy, professor of operations and logistics management at HEC Montréal. The expert specifies that he does not have all the data to make a decision, but that an in-depth internal analysis would make it possible to do so.

“Yes, someone at the Ministry is needed to award these contracts and monitor them,” said Mr. Roy. But is it necessary to do it yourself? [le transport] ? That’s another question. »

Mr. Daigle does not agree.

“If the government abandons air medical evacuation, the door will open for the private sector,” says the president and director of the SFPQ. He will know that this is an essential service and that the government no longer has anything to control rising costs. »

It is a “false good idea” to entrust everything to the private sector, believes Mr. Daigle.

With the collaboration of William Leclerc, The Press