Wales call-up for air ambulance as fleet grounded

The Montgomeryshire-based Wales Air Ambulance is currently covering the whole of Wales after the other two were grounded amid safety fears, it has emerged.

The charity, which provides three air ambulances throughout Wales, has been forced to ground two of its other helicopters after the aircrafts operators, Bond Air Services, grounded all 22 of its Eurocopter EC135 aircraft throughout the UK amid fears over cracks in rotorblades.

The Wales Air Ambulance's 20-year-old helicopter, based at the Mid Wales Airport, near Welshpool, is now covering the whole of Wales for significant emergencies.

Bond made the decision to ground the EC135's after the aircraft manufacturer Eurocopter urged the helcopter owners to make more frequent checks on rotor blades. Bond said it believed grounding them was the only option even though the manufacturer hasn't ordered them to be taken out of service.

The issue of cracks in the rotor blades arose back in April.