London Helicopter Guide
Air ambulances around London in London

Who flies in London

Air ambulances around London

Charity-funded critical-care helicopter services around the capital, tasked via NHS ambulance control.

Hero image: Photo: Mike Burdett, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Charity-funded critical-care helicopter services around the capital, tasked via NHS ambulance control.

The aircraft

KSS: AW169. Essex and Herts: two AW169s. Thames Valley: registration G-TVLY, type not stated on page.

Where they fly from

KSS covers Kent, Surrey, Sussex (official base not stated on page). Essex and Herts: Earls Colne and North Weald airbases. Thames Valley: RAF Benson, about 15 minutes to anywhere in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire.

Kent Surrey Sussex Air Ambulance AW169 at Redhill Aerodrome
Kent Surrey Sussex Air Ambulance AW169 at Redhill AerodromePhoto: Mike Burdett, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

How to tell them apart

Thames Valley helicopter shown as red; other liveries and call signs not stated.

Exemptions

The CAA treats police, air ambulance (HEMS), search and rescue and military flights as exempt public-safety users in its London data, and says NPAS and HEMS multi-engine helicopters may fly lower or hold over specific locations. See how low helicopters may fly.

Sourced facts

KSS operates around the clock every day; responds to over 3,100 incidents a year (year not stated); over 46,000 incidents in 35 years; operates AW169 helicopters. Source
KSS missions start from 999 calls where dispatchers prioritise patients needing care most; dispatchers assess over 4,000 calls per shift. Source
Essex and Herts operates two AW169s (cruise about 170 mph) from Earls Colne and North Weald; 1,821 missions and 1,266 patients under 'Your impact in 2026' (as shown on the page). Source
Essex and Herts is dispatched by the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust Critical Care Desk at Broomfield Hospital, staffed by a critical care paramedic and dispatcher. Source
Thames Valley Air Ambulance is based at RAF Benson, helicopter G-TVLY; page says 'called out 3,302 times' last year (year not stated; another figure of 2,670 also appears) and about 9 call-outs per day. Source

Pictures

Kent Surrey Sussex Air Ambulance helicopter G-LNAC
Kent Surrey Sussex Air Ambulance helicopter G-LNACPhoto: Celsoazevedo, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Thames Valley Air Ambulance helicopter at Reading
Thames Valley Air Ambulance helicopter at ReadingPhoto: Chris j wood, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Essex & Herts Air Ambulance MD902 Explorer G-HAAT
Essex & Herts Air Ambulance MD902 Explorer G-HAATPhoto: Steve Lynes from Sandshurst, United Kingdom, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Sources and checks

Facts on this page come from these sources, last checked 2026-11-03. Where a source could not be reached or did not say, we left the fact out.

  1. aakss.org.uk aakss.org.uk
  2. ehaat.org ehaat.org
  3. tvairambulance.org.uk tvairambulance.org.uk
  4. aakss.org.uk aakss.org.uk