Record Year For Hampshire And Isle Of Wight Air Ambulance

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance responded to a record number of emergencies in 2025, with crews deployed 2,593 times across the region.

The charity says this marks the fourth consecutive year of rising demand, with notable increases in callouts related to cardiac arrests, assaults and self-harm incidents.

December saw crews dispatched more than 200 times, while July was the busiest month on record, with 274 deployments.

Around 58% of incidents required the helicopter, while the remaining 42% were reached by road, using emergency response vehicles to access built-up areas more quickly.

Almost one in ten patients treated last year required a pre-hospital emergency anaesthetic, a serious procedure used to protect vital organs following major trauma.

More than 70% of incidents occurred during daytime hours, with around 30% taking place overnight.

The majority of callouts were to Southampton, Portsmouth and surrounding areas, as well as the New Forest and the Isle of Wight.

The charity is currently relocating its airbase and headquarters from Thruxton in Andover to a new site near Southampton, a move expected to improve response times to most incidents.

Among those helped in 2025 was 47-year-old Holly Treloar, who was airlifted to hospital after suffering multiple leg fractures during a fall while walking in a remote area.

She praised the crew’s speed, care and reassurance, saying the service is something “you don’t realise you need until you do”.

More information is available at hiowaa.org.