WATCH: Heroic video of a cruise ship airlift after passenger suffers heart attack at sea 

A passenger has been airlifted off a cruise ship off the coast of Cairns, with a dramatic video showing the helicopter navigating the ocean winds as it touches down on the top deck.

The name and current medical condition of the passenger have not been released. 

Cruise ship airlifts happen in situations where urgent medical attention is needed for a passenger onboard, and the onboard doctors make a decision that isn’t there time to safely get the passenger to a hospital. For example, in this instance, the ship was about 460 kilometres off the coast of Cairns, a long way from facilities where urgent medical attention could be provided.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority shared a video of the event and a description of the event: “On Thursday, we coordinated a successful medical evacuation from the cruise ship Pacific Encounter, about 460 km east of Cairns, QLD. A male passenger suffered a cardiac episode and required urgent medical assistance.

“We tasked our Cairns-based Challenger rescue aircraft and the Cairns rescue helicopter to respond. At 10:30 am, the helicopter winched the passenger aboard and transported him to Cairns Hospital for treatment.

“The cruise ship was initially in Papua New Guinea waters, 900 km from Cairns before being directed closer to Willis Island to allow for a helicopter refuel after the rescue. Our Challenger rescue aircraft  provided overhead support for the mission.”

The video shows the intense scene, with the aircraft approaching the ship, of which the top deck has been completely evacuated by guests. 


What to know about cruise ship airlifts 

  • Cruise ship airlifts provide safety and security for cruise passengers, to know that even when they’re in a remote location at sea, in the worst-case scenario, emergency medical treatment can still be possible. 
  • One crucial factor is that airlifts are weather-permitting. If there are particularly harsh winds, waves or other sea conditions, it can be more difficult or sometimes not possible for an airlift to take place. For example, just this week, a passenger needed emergency medical treatment on Independence of the Seas but due to harsh wind conditions, the helicopter was circling the ship for hours before being able to retrieve the passenger.
  • Cruise ship airlifts are generally covered under insurance and are a surefire reason why medical insurance is needed and sometimes required on cruises. They can rack up a huge bill if you’re not covered. 
  • These procedures are generally extremely safe, there are no publicised cases of incidents due to airlifts, and there have even been operations in the past where hundreds of passengers have been successfully airlifted. For example, in 2019 in Norway, 479 passengers were safely airlifted from Viking Sky.

Read the story of an Aussie who got airlifted and lived

Cruise Passenger previously covered the incredible story of Aldo Razza and his wife Madonna O’Brien, after an emergency on a cruise in the South Pacific.

Razza suffered a heart attack onboard and went into cardiac arrest, eventually being airlifted to New Caledonia after suffering a second heart attack onboard. 

Despite the ship being in the middle of the ocean, a helicopter arrived from Noumea and took Razza to Noumea where he remained for weeks receiving emergency treatment. He now lives happily and healthily to tell the tale, even getting to cruise with his wife again. 

This event serves not just as a cautionary tale for quality travel insurance, as the couple received a $150,000 payout, but also as a testament to the amazing work cruise lines, rescue services, and doctors can do together to keep passengers safe at sea.