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Babcock contract extension with Great Western Air Ambulance Charity

Babcock and Great Western Air Ambulance Charity agreed to a five-year contract extension to continue a primary helicopter emergency medical service partnership in the UK.

The contract will see Babcock, a leading UK provider of specialist air ambulance operations, continue to provide exclusive aviation support to the charity, including helicopters fitted with the latest kit, ground support, engineering and highly trained pilots.

“This extension cements our long-standing partnership with GWAAC,” said Hayley Belmore, Director, Babcock UK Onshore. “We’ve provided specialist air ambulance operations to the charity for 15 years, transporting thousands of patients. I’m extremely proud of the service we provide to help GWAAC deliver critical care when a patient needs it most.”

Great Western Air Ambulance Charity provides the critical care and air ambulance service for 2.1 million people across the counties of Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol, South Gloucestershire, Gloucestershire, North Somerset and parts of Wiltshire.

The year 2021 was the charity’s second-busiest year to date, with 1,964 call-outs. The Critical Care Team attends an average of over five incidents a day, either by helicopter or in one of three critical care cars. On average each mission costs around £2,000 to attend.

“Great Western Air Ambulance Charity’s partnership with Babcock stretches back to the very beginning of our operations,” added Anna Perry, GWAAC CEO. “We consider them our long-term partner in delivering our air ambulance service and managing all aspects of aviation for us, allowing us to focus on the things we do best.”