Yorkshire Air Ambulance is set to spend £15.3 million upgrading its fleet of helicopters.
The charity will replace its current G-YAAC and G-YOAA models with two new state of the art Airbus H145.
Bosses at YAA said the decision to upgrade its fleet was to ensure the people of Yorkshire receive the best operational and medical service.
They added that the new helicopters would be paid for through the charity’s reserves, financial planning and by selling the current models.
Steve Waudby, director of aviation at the charity, said:
“Our two current helicopters, G-YAAC and G-YOAA have served us well since 2016 and will continue to do so for another few years.
“However, the typical effective lifespan of an air ambulance helicopter is somewhere between seven to 10 years, so we are placing a timely order now for delivery in 2023, whilst taking advantage of early Airbus production line slots, as this helicopter has become very popular within the air ambulance community.
“There have also been a lot of advancements made to the H145 since we bought our current aircraft – both technically in the cockpit, and medically with regards to the equipment we carry.
“We had the choice to look at retrospectively fitting these technological advancements or upgrading to brand-new helicopters that include everything as part of their specification. Given the complexities of helicopter mechanics, we would have also faced a longer lead time with having everything retrospectively fitted rather than buying new, so it was sensible for the Charity to upgrade the helicopters for new ones.”
How the new Yorkshire Air Ambulance helicopters, the Airbus H145, would look.
The first of the two new helicopters is expected to arrive in Yorkshire in Spring 2023, with the second following shortly after in Summer 2023.
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The new fleet will come with full medical fit out, on board Wi-Fi to allow patient records to be updated inflight and a secure communications system which will allow the crew to send patient data ahead to their destination hospital.
Peter Sunderland, Chairman of the YAA, said:
“We are delighted to be able to announce our plans for these new helicopters.
“The H145 has become the most popular new aircraft globally and we are very much looking forward to welcoming the two new models to Yorkshire in Spring and Summer of 2023.
“Our current H145 D2 helicopters have served us well, so there was no question about considering other makes or models – it is fast becoming the air-ambulance helicopter of choice within the air ambulance sector.”
