London’s Air Ambulance Charity has reached its fundraising target to replace two MD902 Explorer helicopters serving the U.K.’s capital city.
The charity said it has raised £16 million ahead of schedule through its Up Against Time appeal, which launched in October 2022. Prince William, a former search-and-rescue helicopter pilot in the Royal Air Force, has been a vocal supporter of the charity.
“Thanks to the support we received, our service will be able to continue saving lives across the city, serving the people of London 24/7, 365 days a year,” the charity said in a statement.
“Every second a patient is waiting for treatment, can mean the difference between life and death, but our new helicopters will get us to the patient’s side within 11 minutes.”
The charity announced at the Farnborough International Air Show in 2022 it had ordered two Airbus H135 helicopters to renew its fleet.
At the time, Airbus said the two aircraft would be delivered in 2024, and would operate primarily from the charity’s helipad base at the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel.
“We are very impressed with the medical capability that we can pack into the H135,” said a charity spokesperson as part of the order.
“The issue of ground safety is very important to us as we frequently have to operate into physically constrained emergency locations with a constant risk of the public being present. The compact size of the H135 plus its Fenestron tail rotor and high ground clearance are attractive features for us.”
The charity acquired its first helicopter, a Dauphin AS365, in the late 1980s. Its first mission was flying organs for a transplant from Scotland to London in 1989.
In January 1998 an MD902 Explorer replaced the Dauphin, chosen in part because the charity saw its lack of a tail rotor as important in an urban environment.
The charity acquired a second, pre-owned MD902 in January 2016 after raising over £4 million to cover costs.
