Airport investigation finds no delays caused to air ambulance emergency calls
There were concerns aircraft had been flying over its helipad
Cornwall Airport Newquay has disputed claims that Cornwall Air Ambulance had been delayed in responding to emergency calls by aircraft flying over its helipad.
A representative from Cornwall Air Ambulance raised the issue with airport bosses at a meeting of the Cornwall Airport Newquay Consultative Forum last week.
He claimed that aircraft from Cobham, which has a training centre at the airport, had been flying over the charity’s helipad at the airport which had caused delays in responding to critical patients.
Stephen Murdoch from the Air Ambulance said that it was a “safety issue” and called on the airport to address the issue.
Cornwall's Air Ambulance is being delayed by aircraft flying over the charity's helipad
Airport boss Pete Downes said that he would ensure an investigation was completed and said that the airport did not want the air ambulance to be delayed in responding to calls.
Today the airport said that it had completed that investigation and that there had been no delays in responding to critical calls.
In a statement the airport said: “Cornwall Airport Newquay would like to confirm that upon detailed investigation there have been no avoidable delays found to Category A critical lifesaving flight activity, and no involvement of Cobham aircraft in any delays identified. The airport has a number of stakeholders operating flights to and from the site, and our Air Traffic Control team always urgently prioritise the lifesaving work that both Cornwall Air Ambulance and HM Search and Rescue carry out.
“We would like to reiterate that no evidence of Cobham aircraft impacting upon the departure of critical care flights has been identified.”
Cornwall Airport Newquay
In response Cornwall Air Ambulance said: “The comments made at the Consultative Forum were as a result of legitimate concerns raised by our pilots. We are content that the airport has addressed this issue and we are grateful to the Air Traffic Control team for the ongoing support in delivery of our lifesaving services.”
Cornwall Air Ambulance