With Air Ambulance Week 2025 well underway, the North West Air Ambulance Charity (NWAA) is calling on communities across the region for support, as there is growing demand for its lifesaving services.
New figures show that from January to September 2025, NWAA crews responded to 2,698 emergency callouts.
A 28% increase compared to the same period in 2024, highlighting the charity’s expanding role when providing lifesaving support and reaching patients in critical need.
The increase in missions spans a wide range of incidents:
- Medical emergencies rose by 45% (from 646 to 935)
- Road traffic collisions increased by 21% (from 470 to 569)
- Assaults and self-harm cases also saw significant rises, with assaults up 42%
A key reason NWAA has been able to respond to more emergencies is the expansion of its night car service, which began running seven nights a week in late 2024 and operates in communities across Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside, Cheshire, and Cumbria.
The night car allows crews to reach patients during the night from 6pm to 2am when the helicopters aren’t operating.
Since extending its availability, the impact has been clear: between January and September 2024, the night car was dispatched 219 times, rising to 674 missions in the same period of 2025.
David Briggs, Operations Director at NWAA, said: “These numbers aren’t just statistics; they represent real people, families, and communities across the North West. Every increase in callouts is a reminder of how vital our work is.
“Our night car going seven nights a week has meant we can be there when people need us most. At first, we were providing it on a Friday and Saturday, but now we’re able to offer it 7 nights a week from 6pm till 2am, all thanks to the public’s support.
“We rely on donations to continue saving lives, and we’d like to thank our supporters for raising awareness and supporting us this Air Ambulance Week.”
NWAA receives no government or NHS funding, relying entirely on public donations to keep providing its lifesaving service.
To find out more about how you can support the charity, head to nwairambulance.org.uk