Emergency Aeromedical Service (Irish Air Corps)

The Emergency Aeromedical Service (EAS) is a government helicopter ambulance in Ireland. It is based at Custume Barracks in Athlone. It is run by the Irish Air Corps, part of the Defence Forces, and works with the National Ambulance Service of the HSE.

Services

The EAS responds to serious incidents across Ireland. According to the Department of Defence, missions often involve injuries from falls and road collisions, as well as medical emergencies. It gives fast transport for patients of all ages, often to major trauma centres or specialist units in Dublin, such as Beaumont, Tallaght and CHI Crumlin.

Aircraft and bases

The service is based at Custume Barracks in Athlone. A new helicopter hangar was opened there in April 2025. Air Corps technicians use it for inspections and safety work on the aircraft. The Air Corps website says its helicopter wing flies AW139 and EC135 helicopters, and lists air ambulance work among their tasks.

Coverage area

The service covers the whole country, from its base in the midlands. The Department says the service gives people in this part of the country quick access to medical care, often in remote or hard to reach places. In 2024 it flew missions in 25 counties. About a third of them were in Galway, Mayo, Roscommon and Westmeath.

Facts

• Type: government service, run by the Air Corps of the Defence Forces.
• Partner: the National Ambulance Service.
• In operation since 2012, according to the Department of Defence.
• Base: Custume Barracks, Athlone.

Contact

Information page: https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-defence/press-releases/t%C3%A1naiste-officially-opens-new-emergency-aeromedical-service-helicopter-hangar-in-athlone/. Location: Custume Barracks, Athlone, Ireland. No public phone number for the service is given on the pages we read. Air Corps website: https://www.military.ie/en/who-we-are/air-corps/.