Fees and Charges

Fees and Charges for Search and Rescue Services

We understand that initiating a search and rescue operation can be a stressful and emotional time. Rest assured, our experienced team is committed to doing everything possible to locate and recover your loved one. However, it’s important to be transparent about the costs and the nature of our services.

Commitment to Excellence

Our search and rescue operations utilise nearly $1 million worth of advanced equipment and years of commercial operations to ensure we have the best chance of success. While we promise to give our absolute best effort, we cannot guarantee results. This is because the individual in question may not be within the search area, or other factors may limit our capabilities.

Fees Overview

Callout Fee: $25,000* (within 1,000 kms)

Covers travel to the search location by road (*additional fees apply for commercial or private aircraft hire if required).
Includes the first 48 hours of search and rescue operations.

Ongoing Search Fees:

If the search extends beyond 48 hours, a fee of $10,000 per 24-hour period (or part thereof) will apply, subject to your engagement approval.

Community Support & Benefactor Opportunities

At C-Astral Aerospace – Search and Rescue we understand that not every situation comes with the financial means to act immediately. That’s why we commit to undertaking several pro-bono search and rescue operations each year as part of our community service program.

While these operations are conducted at no cost to the individuals or families involved, we want to assure everyone that they receive the same level of professionalism, attention, and care as any other mission.

In fact, our free searches often provide valuable opportunities to:

Train and mentor additional search and rescue personnel under real-world conditions.
Discreetly document the operation for learning, review, and awareness purposes, with carefully prepared content later shared on our YouTube channel to help educate the public about SAR work.

We also welcome benefactors, sponsors, and donors who would like to fund future searches. Importantly, benefactors are not required to contribute until the operation is complete, ensuring full confidence that their support has been directed toward a completed and meaningful mission.

By working together with our benefactors, we can respond at no cost to those in desperate need while building broader community awareness and readiness. If you or your organisation would like to partner with us, we would be honoured to cooperate and highlight your role in helping ensure that no call for help goes unanswered.

Important Considerations

Weather and Operational Restrictions:
At times, we may be unable to fly due to adverse weather, safety concerns, conflicts with other search aircraft or as advised by the search team leader.
- Please note that much of our search operations are conducted at night, as it offers the best conditions for our equipment to locate a missing person. Night operations are also safer for our team compared to manned aircraft who often will avoid night searches for safety reasons.
No Refund Policy:
Once our team is activated, there are no refunds. This policy ensures that our resources are allocated promptly and efficiently.

Payment Details

We accept electronic bank transfers only.
Payment must be received and funds cleared before we can activate our team for the emergency.

Our Commitment to You

We understand the urgency and gravity of EVERY search and rescue mission. Our team is dedicated to providing a professional and compassionate service. While we cannot guarantee success, we promise to give our full effort to identify, locate, and guide emergency services to the recovery location of the missing person.

If you have any further questions or need to initiate a search, please don’t hesitate to contact us or phone +61 0418 168 665