Swiss airframer Pilatus delivered the 1,500th aircraft in its PC-12 series last week. In a handover celebration at the manufacturer’s headquarters in Stans, company chairman Oscar Schwenk presented the milestone turboprop single to Australia’s Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS).

“We are proud of our partnership with Pilatus and would like to say how honored we are to accept this anniversary PC-12 today,” noted John Lynch, CEO of Royal Flying Doctors Service central operations. “The PC-12 is perfectly tailored to the rigorous conditions in the Australian Outback. We appreciate its special characteristics and recognize the indispensible role it plays in enabling us to meet the challenges of our mission as it is defined today.”

In 1994, the charitable service was among the first customers to take delivery of a PC-12, and it currently operates a fleet of 33 of the turboprop singles to provide medical services to people living in the most remote areas of the country.

“I am thankful and extremely proud that we may count the RFDS amongst our customers,” said Schwenk. “I am equally pleased that the RFDS is among our first customers for the PC-24, which it plans to use for ambulance operations.”