Charles Alcock is managing editor of the AIN Media Group, having rejoined the company in 2019. He has been an aviation journalist since 1986, and previously worked for AIN from 1990 to 2017, most recently as editor-in-chief. His main focus is on covering new aviation technology and business models, as well as international news.
Having been raised in the London area, Alcock studied at the University of Manchester in the UK and earned an honors degree in Politics and Modern History. He speaks English and French, and some German.

Managing Editor

Charles Alcock

MD Onboard and Dyami are pooling their respective medical and security support services to offer what they say will be a comprehensive risk management platform for airlines and business aircraft operators. The companies announced their partnership on Thursday, with customers now able to subscribe to a range of support options tailored to their operational profile.
Netherlands-based Dyami specializes in security risk management for the aviation sector based on human intelligence sources worldwide. It provides risk assessments for specific trips, as well as training for flight crew and other employees to deal with security threats at a planning and operational level.
This capability is now pooled with MD Onboard’s remote medical advisory services, including inflight support. The company’s platform combines two-way video and audio communications—with translation services if required—and the ability to relay critical health data in real time from devices including electro cardiograms (ECGs) and defibrillators.
The partners’ combined portfolio now covers risk intelligence covering all aspects of individual trips, including overflight and destination assessments. In cases where decisions to resolve urgent health situations might need to take account of security risks, such as whether it is safe to remain in a location, Dyami’s team will provide input alongside that from MD Onboard’s medical staff.
“At MD Onboard we know that safety in aviation extends far beyond the aircraft cabin; it is about protecting crew, passengers and operations at every stage,” said the company’s chief growth officer, Wehda El Arida. “By joining forces with Dyami, we are bringing airlines and business aviation stakeholders a unified solution that combines world-leading medical advisory [services] with cutting-edge security training and intelligence.”
<h2>Responding to Unprecedented Risks</h2>
According to Dyami CEO Eric Schouten, aircraft are operators are now “navigating an era of unprecedented complexity, where medical, operational and security risks are increasingly interlinked.” The former Dutch government intelligence officer, who was involved in investigations such as the <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/air-transport/2016-09-28/prosecutors-say-mh17-shot-down-pro-russian-territory">destruction of a Malaysian Airlines aircraft</a> by Russian-backed forces in 2014, told AIN the company is expanding its team to provide people-centric solutions to organizations.
Grant Jeffery, MD Onboard’s CEO, said his company aims to lead the way in tapping the latest technology to provide a level of risk management support to meet evolving needs. “The traditional solution is that a person gets sick and the crew call a health provider and then act on that advice over a phone; it’s been that way for 40 years,” he told AIN. “A phone call doesn’t cut it now. We’re looking to deliver exactly the same health care and support as customers would get on the ground. Now our fully integrated services means crew can get both security and medical support, accessing two-way video and chat via our app.”
MD Onboard was founded in 2023 as a subsidiary of Northwell Health, which is a $24 billion group that is one of the largest medical providers in the U.S. It provides hospitals, medical clinics, training and pharmacies, with its doctors forming the core of the guidance provided to MD Onboard’s clients. Jeffery was formerly CEO of MedAire and its parent group International SOS, which also provide a combination of medical and security risk management services.
<h2>Doctors Without Borders</h2>
The MD Onboard video and audio connections have been designed to operate on low bandwidth inflight communications systems, and is also compatible with newer technology. The platform can work with any type of ECG or other medical diagnostic equipment. Medical teams are dispersed worldwide with facilities in the U.S., Singapore, Dubai and London.
The company is now seeking to automate clinical assessments based on digital pathology and other non-intrusive techniques. According to Jeffery, its teams take a holistic approach that can take account of the medical background of each patient as well as how they present when an event happens.
“We can use clinical algorithms synchronized with pre-existing conditions to get a fairly black and white view of the risk so that we can avoid people traveling when they should not,” he explained. “The video assessments are very useful in terms of seeing how the patient actually presents at the time a decision has to be made.”
The combined MD Onboard/Dyami service will be based on an annual subscription fee that will vary according to the level of access needed and the scale of a client’s operation. Both companies said they aim to tailor the support to individual clients’ actual needs, offering flexibility based on expected utilization.
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