Samruddhi Highway to Get Air Ambulance Service in Early 2027: All You Need to Know
Maharashtra is planning a major upgrade to emergency medical response on its flagship expressways. The Samruddhi Highway air ambulance service 2027 plan will deploy helicopter-based air ambulances on the Nagpur-Mumbai Samruddhi Mahamarg from early next year. The service will also cover the Mumbai-Pune Expressway and Mumbai-Goa Highway. The primary goal is to ensure that critically injured accident victims can be airlifted to trauma care centres during the crucial golden hour after a crash.
What Is the Golden Hour and Why Does It Matter?
The golden hour refers to the first sixty minutes after a serious injury. Medical research consistently shows that treatment received within this window dramatically improves survival chances. For accident victims on long-distance highways, reaching a hospital within sixty minutes is often impossible by road. Distances are too large and traffic conditions too unpredictable.
An air ambulance eliminates this problem. A helicopter can cover distances in minutes that would take a ground ambulance an hour or more. For the 701-kilometre Samruddhi Mahamarg, which connects Nagpur to Mumbai through ten districts, this capability could be the difference between life and death for victims of serious accidents.
Which Highways Will the Air Ambulance Cover?
The air ambulance programme is not limited to the Samruddhi Mahamarg alone. The Maharashtra government has proposed extending the service to three major highway corridors. These are the Nagpur-Mumbai Samruddhi Mahamarg, the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, and the Mumbai-Goa Highway.
Together, these three corridors represent some of the highest-traffic and highest-fatality stretches of highway in Maharashtra. Deploying air ambulances across all three simultaneously will create a comprehensive emergency aerial response network across the state’s most critical road infrastructure.
What Preparations Are Underway?
The Maharashtra government has already initiated the groundwork for this service. Transport Minister Sarnaik has directed concerned departments to seek approval for a Standard Operating Procedure for the project by November 15, 2026. The SOP will define protocols for safely transporting the injured to trauma care centres and lay out coordination frameworks among emergency response agencies.
The state is also working to identify trauma care centres along each highway corridor that will serve as receiving facilities for air-evacuated patients. A panel of service providers is being prepared through a formal tender process. Funding is being arranged through the Road Safety Fund.
The three departments most closely involved in finalising the SOP are the Transport Department, the Health Department, and the Police Administration. All three must coordinate their respective emergency response protocols before the service can go live.
Why Is This Especially Important for Nagpur?
For Nagpur, the air ambulance service carries particular significance. The Samruddhi Mahamarg is the city’s primary expressway link to Mumbai and western Maharashtra. It passes through some of the most sparsely populated stretches of Vidarbha where ground-level emergency medical infrastructure is limited.
Accident victims in remote sections of the Samruddhi Mahamarg currently face long waits before reaching a fully equipped hospital. Air evacuation would allow patients from even the most distant points on the expressway to reach trauma centres in Nagpur, Aurangabad, or Mumbai within the critical golden hour window.
What Is the Samruddhi Mahamarg?
The Nagpur-Mumbai Samruddhi Mahamarg, officially named the Hindu Hrudaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg, is a 701-kilometre six-lane access-controlled expressway. It connects Nagpur in Vidarbha to Mumbai and passes through ten districts including Wardha, Amravati, Washim, Buldhana, Aurangabad, Jalna, Ahmednagar, Nashik, and Thane. The full expressway became operational in June 2025 after CM Devendra Fadnavis inaugurated its final 75-kilometre phase from Igatpuri to Amane. The highway reduces Nagpur-to-Mumbai travel time to approximately eight hours.
When Will the Service Launch?
The air ambulance service on the Samruddhi Mahamarg is targeted for launch in early 2027. The timeline depends on successful completion of the SOP finalisation process, regulatory approvals, identification and onboarding of service providers, and readiness of trauma care centres along the corridor. Officials have indicated that preparations are on track for the early 2027 target date.
