Cornwall Air Ambulance appoints helicopter operations partner

The UK’s Cornwall Air Ambulance (CAA) has announced the appointment of helicopter charter, management and sales services provider Castle Air as its helicopter operations partner.

The company, which has a base of operations in the Cornish town of Liskeard, will be responsible for the ongoing maintenance and engineering of the charity’s Leonardo AugustaWestland 169 helicopter.

The helicopter, designated G-CRWL, has now been sent to Castle Air to undergo routine annual maintenance. The £7.5 million helicopter entered operation on 1 April 2020 following a two-year £2.5 million fundraising campaign and is the first aircraft fully owned by the charity in its 34-year history.

During the maintenance period, CAA will respond to incidents using a backup replacement helicopter to continue its operations across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

“Castle Air specialises in AgustaWestland aircraft engineering and as a Cornish business they provide Cornwall Air Ambulance with a local support base from which to carry out the regular and ongoing maintenance required to fly and saves lives 365 days a year,” said Tim Bunting, Chief Executive of Cornwall Air Ambulance Trust.

Castle Air maintains and operates a fleet of AW169 helicopters for the provision of HEMS, VIP charter, aerial surveillance, passenger transport and training services.

Ross Bunyard, Managing Director of Castle Air, commented: “We have wanted to support our local air ambulance for a long time, and we are very grateful to the charity for this opportunity, which is allowing us to expand our capability at Liskeard and employ additional maintenance staff.”