Aviation non-profit aids in flights to and from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

On January 12, 2021, AeroAngel will fly one-year-old Cassius from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, back to Pensacola, Florida.  Several months ago, Cassius received a stem-cell transplant for a rare immune condition at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.  Because of his weakened immune system, AeroAngel is providing a private jet flight home for him and his father.   

A commercial flight is not an option given Cassius’ fragile medical state and the COVID-19 pandemic, nor are several days of driving. 

AeroAngel is the only non-profit in the country that provides long-distance flights for very sick children on private jets at no cost to families, who need to travel to distant, life-saving medical care.  

AeroAngel, based in Denver, provides flights across the country, relying on a network of generous jet donors, volunteer pilots and funded charter flights to fulfill a growing list of urgent flight requests.  Last year, AeroAngel completed nearly 75 flights, and Cassius’ will be the fifth flight supporting children receiving treatment at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. 

“With the COVID storm still overhead, we expect demand for flights to double again this year to help medically fragile children with no other safe options travel to and from life-saving medical care,” said Mark Pestal, AeroAngel’s founder and president,  “For families like Cassius’, commercial air travel is not a safe option given the presence of pathogens in public spaces.”

AeroAngel is a unique aviation charity that helps very sick children get to and from distant, life-saving medical care on private jets at no cost to their families.  Founded in 2010, AeroAngel is a non-profit organization and tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.  www.aeroangel.org

Media inquiries:  Sarah Leatherby sarah@aeroangel.org