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Germany’s 2025 Air-Rescue Tally Shows Slight ADAC Dip, DRF Uptick and Berlin Takeover

Expanded paramedic powers are reducing the need for physician-led helicopter responses.

Overview

  • ADAC flew 48,908 missions in 2025, a marginal decline from 49,048 in 2024, while DRF logged 36,407, up about 1.6 percent year over year.
  • Regional counts fell in multiple areas, including Saxony (3,614, down 309), Baden-Württemberg (1,475, down about 270) and Hamburg’s “Christoph Hansa” (731, down 140).
  • DRF has assumed operation of all Berlin helicopter stations after December 31, 2025, with “Christoph 31” recording 2,430 missions last year.
  • Busy bases persisted despite the overall dip, including ADAC’s “Christoph 66” in Imsweiler (1,532 missions and 112 winch rescues), “Christoph 46” in Zwickau (1,482) and “Christoph 28” in Fulda (1,279).
  • Accidents and heart or circulatory emergencies remained the leading causes for dispatches, night flights increased, and ADAC also pointed to weather-related cancellations as a drag on totals.