Babcock has agreed a five year contract extension with the Great Western Air Ambulance Charity (GWAAC) to keep the UK helicopter emergency medical service up in the sky saving lives.

The contract will see Babcock continue to provide exclusive aviation support to the charity, in the form of an EC135 T2+ helicopter, known as Helimed 65, fitted with the latest kit, ground support, engineering and highly trained pilots. Helimed 65 operates from the charity's airbase in Almondsbury, South Gloucestershire and can carry up to five people.

Babcock UK Onshore director Hayley Belmore says: “This extension cements our long-standing partnership with GWAAC. 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's partnership with Babcock stretches back to the very beginning of our operations,” adds GWAAC CEO Anna Perry. “We consider it 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. We were delighted to sign a new five year contract with Babcock and remain consistently impressed with the quality of helicopter maintenance and availability, meaning we can reliably be there for patients in need of our care.”