A new helicopter has touched down at the Magpas Air Ambulance airbase in Alconbury Weald, Cambridgeshire. The AW109 SP, registered as ‘G-MPAS’, replaces the UK aeromedical charity’s previous helicopter which was unable to fly when the service’s aviation provider was suddenly sold in a pre-pack administration deal earlier this year.

Since then, Magpas Air Ambulance has continued to provide lifesaving pre-hospital emergency care to patients 24/7 using its fleet of rapid response vehicles, just as it normally would when the helicopter is unavailable due to maintenance or weather, and when it is quicker to reach patients by road. Despite this temporary change, the service has remained as busy as ever, with the charity responding to 1,903 patients in the past financial year.

CEO Daryl Brown MBE explains: “After the sudden and unexpected news that we were unable to operate using our previous aircraft, we worked around the clock to find a new helicopter provider, while also putting measures in place and working with partners to continue saving lives while we awaited delivery of our new aircraft. We look forward to the return of air operations now we have the new helicopter at our airbase. Magpas Air Ambulance is incredibly grateful to the community for its support of this vital service, allowing us to continue saving lives every day, no matter the circumstances.”

Following a period of training for Magpas Air Ambulance’s doctors and critical care paramedics to familiarise themselves with the AW109 SP airframe, the charity expects to be operational by air and flying G-MPAS in the skies of Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire and beyond later this month.