After more than 82,000 missions since its launch in 1991, Midlands Air Ambulance Charity is celebrating 35 years of operations in 2026.
One of the longest established, largest and busiest air ambulance operators in the UK, the charity's iconic red air ambulance helicopters are marking the milestone with a programme of activity throughout the year – along with a look back at how far it has come.
While community support for the lifesaving service remains a constant, a lot has changed for the organisation since its foundation, with its teams now covering the UK's largest air ambulance region – 6,000 square miles over six counties, serving more than seven million people.
The charity has gone from operating one helicopter and relying on analogue systems, five days a week; to running three helicopters with integrated avionics and state-of-the-art navigation alongside a fleet of critical care cars, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The equipment on board its aircraft has also advanced, going from essential tools and larger units designed for more basic treatments, to interiors that are designed for enhanced critical care – with compact multifunction Zoll monitors, mechanical CPR devices, transport ventilators, syringe drivers, blood products, surgical equipment and ultrasound scanners, all carried on board; and more space to care for patients en route to hospital, too.
Today, each mission is delivered by a highly skilled clinical crew, comprising advanced pre-hospital emergency medicine doctors and critical care paramedics; while the aircraft is operated by a specialist pilot, trained to fly and land safely in both complex urban environments and challenging rural locations.
And its ability to reach more of the area, faster, has vastly improved since the beginning, having outgrown its operations from a caravan at what is now Wolverhampton Airport, to having three modern airbases – in Shropshire, Staffordshire and on the Gloucestershire-Worcestershire border at Strensham, near Tewkesbury.
Over the last five years alone, the charity has been deployed to 4,000 missions each year on average, air ambulances and critical care cars combined.
In 2024-25, around half of its missions were responding to medical incidents such as cardiac arrests, strokes and heart attacks.
While the other half were traumatic incidents, including accidental injury from road traffic collisions; leisure-related incidents such as sports and DIY; industrial accidents; stabbings and shootings; and intentional self-harm.
On average, its teams are on the scene within ten minutes, providing hospital-level care to patients.
The charity receives no government funding for its services and relies entirely on donations, fundraising and community support. Each year, it costs £16 million to maintain its three aircraft, critical care cars and continue to provide its lifesaving service.
To find out more about Midlands Air Ambulance Charity and its 35th anniversary celebrations, or to discover how you can support the lifesaving charity including through making a donation, visit midlandsairambulance.com.
