The Society had it's beginnings in Europe; as described in the paper 'ISAS Beginnings' (below) presented by Gerhard Kugler, one of the 'fathers' of air medicine, to the Society's 2007 scientific meeting in Wellington, NZ.

Following the 1985 AirMed meeting in Zurich, members from Australia and New Zealand created an Australasian chapter which has thrived beyond the life of the original ISAS; holding annual meetings, publishing newsletters and developing standards.

In October 2009, agreements were signed with similar organisations in Europe (EHAC) and North America (AAMS). These agreements outlined a shared vision between the Sociery and each of these two organisations for improving aeromedical care for our patients.

In September 2010, after extensive discussion and much deliberation over several years, the annual general meeting approved a change to the name of the organisation from "ISAS (Australasian Chapter)" to "Aeromedical Society of Australasia". Since the original 'ISAS' in Europe no longer existed, it seem illogical for an Australasian Chapter to still use that name.