Brazil formalizes organ transplant air transport and launches donation awareness campaign

Brazil has established a permanent legal framework for the free and prioritized aerial transport of organs, tissues, and human body parts intended for transplantation. Under Law No. 14.858, passed in May 2024, the system ensures that medical teams and biological materials receive priority in air traffic to minimize critical delays.

Since 2014, more than 54,000 items, including solid organs like hearts, lungs, and livers, have been transported through technical cooperation agreements. Of these, approximately 19,000 organs reached recipients via air, with 16,000 transported on commercial flights and 2,500 via the Brazilian Air Force. The operation is coordinated by the National Transplant System (SNT).

To address the challenges of organ availability, the Grupo Bio launched a campaign titled ‘One decision. Diverse lives transformed’ as part of ‘Setembro Verde’ (Green September). The initiative uses 730 balloons to visually represent the approximately 73,000 Brazilians on transplant waiting lists, with each balloon symbolizing 100 people. The campaign aims to encourage citizens to inform their families of their desire to donate, as family authorization remains a mandatory requirement in Brazil.