Cornwall Air Ambulance to have second helicopter

Cornwall's air ambulance has been flying since 1987

Cornwall Air Ambulance Trust has announced that it will have a second aircraft from the end of next year.

The charity has signed a contract with a new operator, Medical Aviation Services (MAS).

It comes into force from December 2014.

The charity said the new aircraft would be able to fly night time missions and would be able to fly further and carry more weight than the current helicopters.

Paula Martin, chief executive of the air ambulance trust, said: "We understand that there are emergency missions we're not getting to at the moment.

"This is mainly because we're already doing another job somewhere else.

"We can see that the need and demand [for a second aircraft] is there and we've been working towards that goal."

Last year the Duchess of Cornwall officially opened the charity's new headquarters at Newquay Airport, following a £1m grant from the European Union.

Cornwall's air ambulance has been flying since 1987.