Rise in Christmas call-outs for air ambulance

A life-saving air ambulance service saw increased demand over the Christmas period compared to the same time last year.

The Lincs and Notts Air Ambulance (LNAA) said its crew was called out 55 times between 23 December and 1 January 2026.

The charity said during the same period in 2024 it had undertaken 35 missions.

Chief executive Karen Jobling said crews had worked tirelessly "responding to emergencies when many were celebrating at home".

The service said 29 call-outs were for medical emergencies while nine were to road traffic collisions.

The crew's busiest day was 29 December, when they were called out 13 times, the LNAA said.

"This increase in missions shows just how essential our service is, and we couldn't do it without the incredible support of our community," Jobling said.

The charity said it had flown 1,608 missions and treated more than a thousand patients over the past 12 months.

Looking ahead to 2026, officials said new critical care cars would be delivered in February and the charity would focus on fundraising ahead of a second helicopter landing in 2027.

The charity relies entirely on donations to fund its operations, which LNAA said costs millions each year.

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