Gama Aviation had successfully bid for the seven-year contract to provide aviation services to the air ambulance in Wales. The decision was made by the Charity’s Trustees following an extensive 18-month procurement process which included input from both aviation and medical professionals.
The Gama Aviation contract, valued at £65 million, covers the operation and maintenance of a primary fleet of four Airbus H145 helicopters, operating from the Charity’s current sites in Dafen, Cardiff, Caernarfon and Welshpool. It additionally includes a backup H145 helicopter to ensure service continuity during periods of maintenance for the primary fleet.
This will be an enhancement compared to the previous fleet, which was made up of three H145 helicopters and one smaller EC135 helicopter. As part of the new contract, the EC135 aircraft has been replaced with a H145
David Gilbert, Wales Air Ambulance Chair of Trustees, said: “This has been a complex 12-month transition process and I would like to thank all those involved – our outgoing and incoming aviation partners and our medical partners the Emergency Medical Retrieval and Transfer Service. We are also pleased to see that a majority of the pilots and engineers who worked with Wales Air Ambulance as part of the previous contract, will be joining Gama Aviation to continue working with our lifesaving service. It just goes to show how passionate they are about serving Wales and saving lives. Gama Aviation is a forward-thinking and ambitious company and we look forward to working with them in the years to come. We would also like to thank our outgoing aviation provider for their support of the service over the past 7 years.”