The ADAC air rescue service completed 48,908 missions nationwide in 2025, a slight decrease from 49,048 the previous year. Despite the decline, there were more challenging operations, including night flights and winch rescues. The most common reasons were accidents and cardiovascular emergencies.
The ADAC air rescue service, one of Germany's two major helicopter rescue organizations, reported 48,908 missions in 2025. This marks a decline of 140 cases compared to 2024. According to the ADAC, the operations included 3,314 night flights and 580 winch rescues. Accidents accounted for 31 percent of the missions, followed by cardiovascular emergencies at 26 percent, including heart attacks and strokes.
The nonprofit operates 60 rescue helicopters at 37 locations, staffed by about 180 pilots along with medical professionals and paramedics. The highest number of missions occurred in Bavaria (11,742), followed by Rhineland-Palatinate (7,786) and North Rhine-Westphalia (5,310). Regionally, variations were evident: In Saxony-Anhalt, missions dropped to 790 from 908, serviced by helicopters from neighboring states such as Christoph 30 from Wolfenbüttel with 235 operations. In Saxony, the stations in Leipzig and Zwickau completed 3,614 missions, 309 fewer than before, with 563 outside the state. In Thuringia, the Christoph 70 in Jena saw an increase to 1,089, a 12 percent rise from 976. In Rhineland-Palatinate, there were 7,786 missions, a 1.5 percent decrease.
Alongside the ADAC, the DRF air rescue service operates, conducting 36,407 missions in 2025. The ADAC helicopters were alerted to an average of 134 emergencies daily.
