Samaritan Aviation is a 501 C-3 non-profit Christian organization that serves the population in the East Sepik Province of Papua New Guinea through emergency evacuation flights, the delivery of medical supplies, and continued community outreach and health programs.The non-profit is funded by the Papua New Guinea government and individual donations.
History
Samaritan Aviation was started in 2000 by Mark Palm & Gary Bustin after a visit to Papua New Guinea revealed the desperate need of medical services in the East Sepik Province.To avoid the difficult transport through 30,000 square miles of jungle, Samaritan Aviation introduced the country’s only floatplane in 2010, a retrofitted Cessna 206, which dramatically increased the availability of healthcare to around 500,000 people. In August 2015, Samaritan Aviation launched their Every Life Matters Tour, introducing their second Cessna 206 floatplane and making stops in Dallas, San Antonio, Denver, Montrose, Prescott, Mesa, and Kingman before shipping the plane to Papua New Guinea.