4 March 2025 – Toll Group is proud to announce the award of a major Government contract to provide comprehensive State Police, Ambulance and Rescue Aviation Services to South Australia. The contract will significantly improve the state’s emergency response and law enforcement capabilities, while enhancing public safety and healthcare accessibility for all South Australians.
Image caption: Emily Bourke MLC, Minister for Emergency Services & Correctional Services
Awarded by the Attorney General’s Department of South Australia, the landmark 15-year contract will see Toll provide a fleet of eight aircraft – both fixed-wing and rotary-wing – specifically deployed to provide vital services, including law enforcement, search and rescue, and medical transport, ensuring rapid and efficient response across the state.
Colin Gunn, General Manager of Toll Aviation shared: “We are extremely honoured to provide critical aviation services that strengthen the state’s emergency response and law enforcement teams and ensure the highest standards quality and safety of the services that South Australians need and deserve”.
Image caption: Colin Gunn, General Manager of Toll Aviation
Under the contract, Toll Group will partner with a range of expert subcontractors, including the Royal Flying Doctor Service (South Australia and Northern Territory) and Gunggandji Aerospace through the Indigenous Defence & Infrastructure Consortium (iDiC), to provide Airborne Law Enforcement, Search and Rescue, and Medical Transport services.
“Drawing on over 20 years of experience within the aviation space, combined with the expertise and capability of our subcontractors, we are confident that these partnerships will deliver unparalleled service to ensure timely and effective support when it matters most,” said Alan Beacham, Managing Director of Toll Group.
The contract includes key milestones, with the initial operational capability for fixed-wing services scheduled for November 2026, and the full operational capability for rotary-wing services set for October 2027.
Image caption: The contract announcement was held on 4 March 2025
The Toll Aviation fleet will include:
- South Australia Police Fleet:
- Rotary-Wing: Two Bell 429 helicopters for Airborne Law Enforcement, featuring:
- High speed up to 155 knots (287 km/h) and 593 km range for rapid deployment.
- Advanced surveillance and mission-ready configurations.
- Fixed-Wing: Two aircraft for policing, search and rescue operations:
- PC12: A high-performance, pressurized aircraft with exceptional range and payload capacity.
- C208EX: A versatile aircraft for search and rescue, capable of landing on sealed and unsealed surfaces.
- Rotary-Wing: Two Bell 429 helicopters for Airborne Law Enforcement, featuring:
- South Australia Ambulance Service MedSTAR Fleet:
- Rotary-Wing: Three AW139 helicopters, offering:
- Speeds up to 167 knots (309 km/h) and a range of 698 km for faster patient response.
- Custom-built Helimods Medical Transport cabin for intensive care, neonatal, and paediatric emergencies.
- Fixed-Wing: One PC12 aircraft, provided by Royal Flying Doctor Service (South Australia and Northen Territory), featuring:
- RFDS intensive care interior, rear patient-loading door, and built-in stretcher loading system.
- Rotary-Wing: Three AW139 helicopters, offering:
In addition to the fleet, Toll Group is in partnership with RFDS will deliver specialised training for South Australia Ambulance Service, South Australia Police Service and Gunggandji teams to ensure the highest level of operational readiness. This will include high-fidelity flight simulators for pilots and crew, cabin trainers and extended reality crew procedural trainers to prepare crews for emergency scenarios, and advanced mission systems for surveillance, search and rescue, and medical transport.
Toll’s commitment to innovation, safety, and operational excellence will be the cornerstone of the contract’s success, providing South Australia with a modern, reliable aviation service for years to come.
-ENDS-
About Toll Group
At Toll, we do more than just logistics - we move the businesses that move the world. Our 16,000 team members can help solve any logistics, transport or supply chain challenge – big or small. We have been supporting our customers for more than 130 years. Today, we support more than 20,000 customers worldwide with 500 sites in 29 markets, and a forwarding network spanning 150 countries. We are proudly part of Japan Post — www.tollgroup.com.
Media Enquiries
If you have any questions, please contact Toll’s media team at