London’s second heli takes flight

Image: Local Member of Parliament Rushanara Ali joined representatives from LAA, Barts Health NHS Trust, London Ambulance Service, the London Freemasons and other supporters as the second helicopter touched down atop The Royal London Hospital (LAA)

London’s Air Ambulance (LAA), UK, has announced that its second helicopter is now operational, thanks to generous contributions to the charity from the people and organisations of the city. The MD902 Explorer, tail number G-LNDN, is available to deliver LAA’s advanced trauma team to critically injured patients. It arrived in time to cover its sister helicopter (G-EHMS), which went offline for annual maintenance.

Following the service’s ‘Your London, Your Helicopter’ fundraising campaign in 2015 to acquire and sustain a second helicopter and extend its summer daylight flying hours for five years, just over £4 million was raised allowing LAA to acquire the helicopter, add a medical interior and cover some of the running costs for the extended service. The charity’s running costs have increased to £6 million each year.

Boris Johnson, mayor of London, said: “We should all be proud of London’s Air Ambulance. The world-class care the doctors, paramedics, pilots and staff here provide is already saving lives and having a second helicopter at their disposal can only improve outcomes for patients across the city. That’s why it is vital that this year our CEOs and business leaders dig even deeper into their vast war chests of profit in order to help London’s Air Ambulance to continue its life-saving work.”

Through the acquisition of a second helicopter and by extending our daylight flying hours in the summer months, LAA estimates it will be able to reach a further 400 patients per year by aircraft.