Accident on the mountain: How much a helicopter rescue costs in Austria

The Austrian Alpine Club therefore advises mountaineers to minimize the financial risk by taking out rescue insurance. 12 percent of all rescue flights in Austria – 4,373 to be precise – were carried out in alpine terrain between November 1st, 2022 and October 31st, 2023. “In Austria we can rely on a modern, comprehensive air rescue system, and we can consider ourselves lucky,” explains Alpine Association President Wolfgang Schnabl.

Who pays for it, however, is a separate topic. “Statutory health insurance does not cover the costs of a helicopter rescue in impassable terrain, or does not always adequately cover it. If an injured person is rescued from alpine terrain, they are usually left with the rescue costs. Without rescue cost insurance, such an operation can be very expensive for the individual. An average helicopter flight of 40 minutes cost an accident victim in Austria almost 5,000 euros last year,” says Clemens Matt, Secretary General of the Austrian Alpine Association. For this reason, the Alpine Club advises all mountain athletes to take out appropriate rescue insurance for their leisure activities on the mountain.

Helicopter operations in cost comparison

In Austria, an average helicopter flight of 40 minutes cost an accident victim an average of 4,984 euros last year. To put this number into perspective, Secretary General Matt makes a cost comparison. “In Germany last year, average helicopter rescue costs, assuming a 40-minute flight, amounted to 3,120 euros, around 37 percent less than in Austria. In Switzerland, average costs of 3,681 euros were incurred by accident victims last year, still around 26 percent less than with us”.

According to Matt, these differences can mainly be explained by the per-minute flight price set by the domestic helicopter companies themselves.

The insurance included in the Alpine Club membership covered a total of 3,239,964 euros in costs for rescues in alpine terrain at home and abroad (ground-based and by helicopter) from November 1st, 2022 to October 31st, 2023.