Fault found on two out of three air ambulances

Repair work is ongoing on two faulty air ambulances in the North West grounded amid safety fears.
By The Newsroom
Published 16th Dec 2013, 08:05 BST
A North West Air Ambulance in action.A North West Air Ambulance in action.
A North West Air Ambulance in action.

One of the three North West Air Ambulance emergency response helicopters that cover Lancashire and the surrounding counties resumed service at 8am on Friday after being given the all clear.

The charity confirmed two of the EC135 helicopters – the same model that crashed into the Clutha bar in Glasgow, killing 10 people – would remain out of action over the weekend.

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On Thursday, all three of its aircraft were grounded following advice from operator Bond Air Services.

The company suspended all 22 of its EC135 helicopters after a fuel indicator fault was found on one.

Lynda Brislin, chief executive of North West Air Ambulance Charity, said on Friday: “We can confirm that one of our helis will be operational from 8am this morning, following testing yesterday.”

The charity then issued a further statement on Twitter at 6pm on Friday evening, saying: “Our 2 grounded helis will continue to be worked on over the weekend – we hope to have our full fleet running again by Monday.

“The heli that was cleared for operation last night will continue to operate during this time.”

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Related topics:North WestRepairGlasgow