New Wales Air Ambulance contract sees future of Caernarfon and Welshpool bases secured until 2026

A new aviation partnership for the Wales Air Ambulance will see the future of its Caernarfon and Welshpool bases secured until at least 2026.

North.Wales has previously reported on concerns that the lifesaving charity’s bases at Dinas Dinlle and Welshpool could be closed with a new centralised base created in Rhuddlan or elsewhere in the north-east of Wales.

It came after an in-depth analysis commissioned by the air ambulance showed lifesaving helicopters could attend hundreds more missions across Wales every year as part of a reconfiguration.

It led to concerns being raised by councillors in Gwynedd that the move could result in a longer waits for urgent care in some rural areas of the county.

However, the charity has today announced Gama Aviation PLC as its new aviation partner for the next seven years, starting from January 1, 2024.

The contract, valued at £65 million, covers the operation and maintenance of a primary fleet of four Airbus H145 helicopters, running from the charity’s current sites in Dafen, Cardiff, Caernarfon and Welshpool.

It also includes a back-up H145 helicopter to the ensure service can continue to operate during periods when fleet maintenance is being carried out.

The air ambulance said it it will extend its contracts with Caernarfon Airport and Welshpool Airport, where two of its operations are currently based, until at least 2026.

But it added the new aviation contract would be able to adapt to “potential future service delivery changes” if required, including the possibility of revised base locations.

The news has received a tentative welcome from campaigners fighting to save the two bases from closure, although they said there was still more work to be done.

In a post on a campaign Facebook group, a spokesman said: “I am very pleased to announce that the bases are safe until at least 2026. The war isn’t over but we have one a major battle to say the least.

“I need to emphasise to you all that there is still a lot of work to do and your support is still very much needed so please continue to ask questions and engage.

“The engagement process is due to start early next month and please make your voices heard!”

Announcing the new contract, David Gilbert, chair of trustees for Wales Air Ambulance, said: “After a robust procurement process, we are delighted to announce Gama Aviation as our next aviation partner.

“They are a forward-thinking and ambitious company with experience of helicopter emergency medical services in Guernsey and Jersey, as well as in Scotland. We look forward to working with them in the years to come.

“We would like to thank our current aviation provider Babcock International and its employees for their support of the service over the past seven years.”

Marwan Khalek, Gama Aviation’s chief executive, said: “I’m delighted that we will be partnering with the charity, supporting their lifesaving mission that delivers an essential service to communities across the country.

“We look forward to working closely with the charity’s team as we stand up the flight and maintenance crews, aircraft and other resources that are required to support the people of Wales.”

The charity said a global increase in costs relating to goods and services, along with a new long-term aviation contract, will result in a “significant increase” in the funds needed to deliver the lifesaving service.

The target to maintain the service’s air operation, alongside rapid response vehicles, will rise from £8m to £11.2m per year.

Dr Sue Barnes, the charity’s chief executive, said: “During this procurement, the charity and its trustees have explored all options for the aviation services that will protect and improve our lifesaving operation.

“We were aware that we would face significant increases in re-contracting costs. In many ways, that is the inevitability of long-term contracting arrangements, but global factors have also exacerbated this. A like-for-like aviation service now totals just over £3 million more per annum.

“We were faced with a stark choice – to cut our cloth according to our existing levels of donations and reduce the number of aircraft, or rise to the challenge of maintaining our existing fleet, with the passionate and ongoing support from the people of Wales. We agreed that the right thing to do was to maintain our existing fleet.

“There will be some who will point to recent proposals to consider changing base locations and suggest that this was a cost-saving plan when faced with difficult choices on aviation costs.

“Nothing can be further from the truth. These costs will be the same regardless of whether the service operates out of three bases or four.”

Previous arrangements saw suppliers hold the leases for all the service’s aircraft, but the charity said this posed a “potential risk” to services.

The new deal will see three of the aircraft directly leased to the charity, with Gama operating and maintaining four of them, along with the back-up helicopter.

Discussing the future of the Caernarfon and Welshpool bases beyond 2026, Dr Barnes said: “Our aim is to protect our services for the people of Wales while continually seeking improvements in service and availability.

“Proposed service improvements are the subject of a public engagement led by the Chief Ambulance Services Commissioner, to which we will contribute via an independent submission.

“However, time is moving on and with Gama Aviation taking over on 1 January 2024, pragmatic decisions have had to be taken.

“Given the need to ensure continuity of service and mindful of the need to give our airbase landlords some commercial certainty, we will commence our new aviation contact with our current four-base model.

“This will allow the commissioner to conclude the process while allowing us to protect our lifesaving service.”