New air ambulance soon to take off in Cornwall

Cornwall Air Ambulance has received its second helicopter from manufacturer Leonardo and is now kitting it out with medical gear before it starts work as a fully functioning critical care resource for the county.

The AW169 from Leonardo Helicopters was built in Milan and was collected by two Cornwall Air Ambulance pilots who delivered it to its temporary home in Gloucester where it will undergo its final processes. Once it’s ready, it will be able to join the existing air ambulance which attends 1,000 missions annually, flying specialist paramedics who are operational 19 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Like all air ambulance organisations, Cornwall Air Ambulance relies on donations. It costs £7m each year to provide its services. Its Heli2 Appeal was launched to fund the second helicopter and the charity is just £197,000 off its £2.85m target.

“This has been an incredibly complex process involving every element of the aircraft from the build, to configurations, test flights, and the transfer back to the UK whilst making sure all aviation authority rules and regulations are met. It has been a pleasure to work with Leonardo, to be able to provide the very best possible AW169 helicopter for the people we serve, and we are incredibly grateful to the team for their hard work on delivering the aircraft.”

Paul Westaway, Consultant in Operations Projects, Cornwall Air Ambulance.

With the end of the Heli2 Appeal fast approaching, Cornwall Air Ambulance is encouraging anyone who can help to reach the £2.85 million appeal target.

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