Life-Saving Organ Transport — 4 Hours, 2,800 km

A matching donor heart became available at Munich University Hospital for a critical patient at Istanbul's Koç University Hospital. The heart had a 4-6 hour cold ischemia viability window. Commercial cargo options would take 8+ hours with connections. The transplant coordinator needed a guaranteed direct flight with medical-grade temperature control and a surgical team escort.

VOLO's medical team activated within 15 minutes of the transplant coordinator's call. We identified a Learjet 75 Liberty with medical configuration available at Munich Airport, dispatched a surgical retrieval team from Istanbul via the same aircraft (empty leg repositioning), and arranged diplomatic priority clearance through Austrian, Hungarian, and Turkish airspace. The aircraft was equipped with a certified organ transport container maintaining 4°C throughout the flight.

The donor heart arrived at Istanbul within 3.2 hours of retrieval — well within the viability window. The transplant surgery was completed successfully, and the patient was discharged 12 days later. The hospital network has since established VOLO as their primary organ transport partner for cross-border cases across Europe and the Middle East.