Second AW169 for Cornwall Air Ambulance

Cornwall Air Ambulance has received a new AW169 helicopter from Leonardo Helicopters – the second of its type that the air ambulance charity will own outright.

The aircraft, built in Leonardo’s facility in Milan, was collected by two Cornwall Air Ambulance pilots, and is currently being fitted out for helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) at a location in Gloucester – a process that Cornwall Air Ambulance said is expected to take “several months” to complete.

The helicopter is due to be ready for regular operations this summer.

The delivery coincides with the charity’s Heli2 Appeal – a fundraising initiative to raise money for the new aircraft – surpassing its £2 million milestone.

“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,” said Paul Westaway, Consultant in Operations Projects at Cornwall Air Ambulance.

Tim Bunting, Chief Executive of Cornwall Air Ambulance, added: “For the first time in the charity’s history we now own two state-of-the-art helicopters. This will boost the resilience and capability of our service, enabling the crew to attend more missions by air each year. Ultimately this will mean we’ll be able to save even more lives for many years to come.”

Cornwall Air Ambulance received its first AW169 helicopter in 2019, and announced plans to acquire the second in November 2023.