London Luton Airport (LLA) has agreed to supply free fuel to any Essex & Herts Air Ambulance Trust (EHAAT) helicopters landing at the airport. Harrods Aviation, a private operator at LLA, has also agreed to waive all landing charges and handling costs.
EHAAT provides Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) across the UK counties of Essex and Hertfordshire and surrounding areas including Bedfordshire. As a result, crews can find themselves tasked with dealing with an emergency at LLA or in the nearby area.
While LLA has never charged landing fees in the event of an emergency at the airport, the new arrangement means that the life-saving charity can now use LLA as a pit stop without incurring any charges.
Cliff Gale, operations director of EHAAT, said, “As a charity we are grateful for all the support we get to keep us flying and we are always looking for ways of supporting our essential costs.
“This gesture from LLA and Harrods Aviation is particularly welcome as it comes from two organizations in the aviation world that we work closely with.”
Liam Bolger, head of airside at LLA, said, “EHAAT performs invaluable work at the airport and in the local community and we are delighted to be able to support the organization. Covering the cost of fuel is our way of saying thank you to this fantastic charity and we hope that this will help EHAAT to continue with its life-saving work.”
