Bond Air Services has won a seven-year contract, partly funded by recycling activities, for full operational and back-up helicopter support for the U.K.'s Great Western Air Ambulance Service. An EC135T2 has begun operations, initially on a five-day-a-week basis, from a base at Filton Airport, near Bristol.

Executive chairman Peter Bond, says: "Bond will provide the primary aircraft and a back-up helicopter, and specially trained pilots and maintenance engineers. Great Western Ambulance medical staff will also be trained by Bond for their specialist role covering Avon, Bristol, Wiltshire and South Gloucestershire."

Bond Air Services has carried out more than 250,000 missions in the U.K. and internationally since 1987. Its operations are based on helicopters including 24 EC135s and Bolkow 105s flying for seven ambulance service regions.

"We introduced air ambulance operations in the U.K. more than 20 years ago and are delighted to extend these to yet another region," says Bond. Work for Great Western will include attending the scene of accidents, the rapid transfer of casualties to hospital and inter-hospital transfers.

The operations will be funded through a joint partnership between the Great Western Air Ambulance Charity and Melvyn's Trust. The trust is a new charity formed to raise funds through recycling to support Great Western operations.