Second Cornwall Air Ambulance Helicopter Arrives in Newquay

Published On: 8 July 2025Last Updated: 8 July 2025By CornishStuff

📷 Credit: Andy Holter Photography

Cornwall Air Ambulance celebrates historic moment with arrival of backup aircraft

Cornwall Air Ambulance’s second lifesaving helicopter has officially arrived at the charity’s airbase in Newquay, marking a significant moment in its 37-year history.

The new aircraft, an AW169 registered as G-CNLL, was delivered from Leonardo Helicopters in Italy earlier this year. It has since undergone months of specialist medical fitting at Gama Aviation in Gloucester, transforming it into a fully equipped critical care resource.

Backed by the Public

The arrival of this second helicopter was made possible thanks to public support for the charity’s 18-month Heli2 Appeal, which raised an impressive £2.85million.

Tim Bunting, Chief Executive, said:

“This is a momentous day for Cornwall Air Ambulance and the people of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. We were the very first UK Air Ambulance service – and our latest arrival today will help us continue to save many more lives and provide the best possible service. Thanks to the generosity of a huge number of people, we now have two state-of-the-art helicopters at our disposal. This enables us to provide the very best possible critical care service to those who need us. We could not have done this without your support, so on behalf of all of us here at the charity, thank you.”

📷Credit: Andy Holter Photography

What Happens Next?

The new helicopter will now enter what’s known as a ‘shakedown’ period, during which pilots will complete approximately 20 flying hours of test flights before G-CNLL can go into full service.

Adam Smith, Unit Chief Pilot, said:

“We’re delighted to now have the second AW169 here with us at the airbase. Several of our pilot team were lucky enough to carry out the ferry flight from Italy to the UK, and it’s great to see that final leg of the journey to our airbase completed today. Robust checks and inspections have already been carried out, and the team now looks forward to carrying out the final test flights over the next few weeks.”

The addition of the second aircraft is expected to boost the charity’s year-round operations, increasing both the resilience and capability of the crew to attend more missions by air across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

Public First Look at Helifest

Supporters will get their first opportunity to see the new helicopter in person at Helifest, the charity’s blue lights festival, on Saturday 19th July at Scorrier House near Redruth.

🎟 Book your tickets here: Helifest for 2025 – Cornwall Air Ambulance Charity Festival