Scottish Ambulance Service Air Ambulance

The Scottish Ambulance Service Air Ambulance is the national air ambulance service of the Scottish Ambulance Service. It is a government service. The Scottish Government pays for the whole operation. It flies patients across Scotland with helicopters and fixed wing aircraft.

Services

The service mainly moves patients to and from hospital from remote, rural and island communities. It also provides air support for the ScotSTAR retrieval teams. All aircraft run around the clock and are fitted out to a clinical specification set by the Scottish Ambulance Service.

Aircraft and bases

The service operates two helicopters, one based in Glasgow and one in Inverness. It also operates two fixed wing aircraft, one at Aberdeen Airport and one at Glasgow Airport. The aircraft are supplied under a managed contract. The site says this contract is due to expire, and that a project team is preparing a new one.

Two more helicopters come from Scotland's Charity Air Ambulance. They are based in Perth and Aberdeen and are available 12 hours a day. They add to the four government funded aircraft.

Who it is for

The service is for patients in Scotland who need transfer by air, in particular in places that are far from a hospital.

Facts

• Type: government ambulance service air operation
• Parent: Scottish Ambulance Service
• Helicopter bases: Glasgow and Inverness
• Fixed wing bases: Aberdeen Airport and Glasgow Airport
• Funding: wholly funded by the Scottish Government, as the site states