Who pays for a rescue helicopter and mountain rescue in Germany?
In short
Who pays for a rescue helicopter and mountain rescue in Germany? Your health insurance (Krankenkasse) pays if the flight was medically necessary (section 60 SGB V). It does not pay to search for or recover uninjured people, and abroad it often pays only in part. A helicopter costs about EUR 60 to 90 per flight minute. Accident insurance, travel health insurance or an alpine club membership fill the gap.
Cost of a mission and prices of suitable cover, from published figures.
Example
Typical range
Rescue helicopter per flight minute
about EUR 60 to 90
Helicopter mission in the Alps
often about EUR 3,000 to 6,000
Mountain rescue Salzburg, per rescuer and hour
EUR 58.50, minimum charge EUR 315
German Alpine Club, adult annual fee depending on the section, recovery cover up to EUR 50,000
usually EUR 50 to 120 a year
Austrian Mountain Rescue supporter fee
from EUR 36 a year
Figures as of October 2026 from the sources listed; club fees vary by section and membership type.
The worked example is a guide value from our quoting practice.
Norman Nammert arranges accident insurance with recovery cover as an insurance broker;
the commission is paid by the insurer.
Worked example
Hiker lost in Tyrol, uninjured, recovered by helicopter
Without injury no health insurer pays. This is the bill with and without cover.
40 minutes flight time at about EUR 75
about EUR 3,000
Two rescuers, three hours
about EUR 350
Health insurance share
EUR 0
Reimbursed by alpine club or accident insurance
up to the policy limit
Without cover you pay around EUR 3,350 yourself. With a club membership or suitable accident insurance, usually nothing.
When health insurance pays for the rescue helicopter
German statutory health insurance covers transport costs under section 60 of the Social Code Book V (SGB V) when they are necessary for compelling medical reasons. Rescue transport to hospital is expressly included.
For a rescue helicopter this means: if you are injured or acutely ill and the flight is the medically right choice, the Krankenkasse pays. Which vehicle was needed is judged case by case.
Search and recovery: where health cover ends
If you are lost, exhausted or stuck uninjured on steep ground, there is no medical reason. Health insurers, statutory or private, then usually do not pay for search and recovery (Bergung).
Flying a lightly injured person to a point an ambulance can reach is also often treated as recovery. The bill then comes from the mountain rescue service or helicopter operator, addressed to you.
What a mountain rescue mission costs
Costs depend on flight time, terrain and the number of rescuers. A mission with a helicopter quickly reaches several thousand euros.
Item
Example
Rescue helicopter
about EUR 60 to 90 per flight minute
Helicopter mission in the Alps
often about EUR 3,000 to 6,000
Mountain rescue in Salzburg, per rescuer
EUR 58.50 per hour, minimum EUR 315
Disputed flight in Austria before a German social court
around EUR 6,200
Accidents in Austria, Switzerland or Italy
In other European countries your German health insurer pays according to the rules of the country where you are treated. In Austria, health insurance does not reimburse recovery and transport down to the valley after sports and tourism accidents (section 131(4) ASVG).
In 2026 a German regional social court ruled that a health insurer need not reimburse a helicopter flight of about EUR 6,200 after an accident in Austria; the ruling was not final when reported. Repatriation to Germany is rarely covered by statutory health insurance.
Which cover fills the gap for helicopter and recovery
Several options work, and many are cheap. What matters is that search and recovery costs are named explicitly and the limit is high enough for a helicopter mission.
Cover
What it pays for rescue
Cost
German Alpine Club (DAV) membership
search, recovery and rescue worldwide up to EUR 50,000 for mountain sports
fee depends on the section, usually EUR 50 to 120 a year
Private accident insurance (Unfallversicherung)
good policies pay recovery costs of at least EUR 10,000
depends on policy
Travel health insurance (Auslandsreisekrankenversicherung)
treatment and repatriation abroad, recovery depending on policy
for individuals sometimes under EUR 10 a year
Supporter of Austrian Mountain Rescue
search and recovery up to EUR 25,000
from EUR 36 a year
When you need no extra cover
If you already have accident insurance with adequate recovery costs and travel health insurance with repatriation, the gap is usually closed. A club membership is then worth it more for huts and courses.
Check the exclusions, though: some accident policies exclude mountaineering or paragliding. Then the limit for mountain recovery costs will not help you.
Step by step
In an emergency call 112 at once; costs do not matter then.
Before the tour, check whether accident insurance or your club pays search and recovery costs.
For tours abroad, take out travel health insurance with repatriation.
After the mission, collect the invoice, mission report and medical report.
Submit the invoice first to the health insurer, then to the accident insurer or club.
Checklist
Recovery costs of at least EUR 10,000 in your accident insurance
Mountain sports not excluded from your accident insurance
Travel health insurance with repatriation
Club fee paid before the tour
Policy numbers and emergency numbers saved on your phone
Common mistakes
Assuming health insurance pays for every mountain rescue
Relying on a credit card without knowing its terms
Calling the helicopter too late for fear of the cost
Leaving mountain sports excluded from accident insurance
Questions and answers
Frequently asked
Does German health insurance pay for a rescue helicopter?
Yes, if the flight was medically necessary.
The legal basis is section 60 SGB V.
Pure recovery without a medical reason is not paid.
Who pays for recovery if I am not injured?
You do, unless accident insurance, a club or travel insurance steps in.
Whether your accident insurance pays recovery costs without injury is set out in its terms.
How much does a rescue helicopter cost?
About EUR 60 to 90 per flight minute.
A mission in the Alps often costs EUR 3,000 to 6,000.
Is membership of the German Alpine Club enough?
For mountain sports often yes: the DAV reimburses search,
recovery and rescue costs worldwide up to EUR 50,000.
For illness on holiday and repatriation you also need travel health insurance.
Does health insurance pay for recovery to the valley in Austria?
No, not after sports and tourism accidents.
Section 131(4) ASVG excludes recovery and transport down to the valley.
From the valley onwards the normal rules apply.
Does travel health insurance help after a mountain accident?
It pays treatment and repatriation, and recovery only if the policy names it.
Look for search and recovery costs (Such- und Bergungskosten) in the terms.
