Wales Air Ambulance have been given the go-ahead to close helicopter bases in Caernarfon and Welshpool.

The charity welcome “the clear summary and categorical outcome handed down by Lady Justice Andrews on 15 October, to refuse the application made to the Court of Appeal in relation to the planned air ambulance service improvement”.

The decision follows a lengthy legal battle in the High Court.

Campaigners against the closures called for a Judicial Review in a bid to preserve the bases, but Wales Air Ambulance believe their plan to replace the base with one elsewhere and rapid response vehicles on the ground will provide better cover.

Responding to Lady Justice Andrews’ decision, a spokesperson for the Wales Air Ambulance charity said: “While not a defendant in this legal action, this decision will allow us to move forward with a development that will save more lives across the country – particularly in mid and north Wales.

“Our service is one of the most clinically advanced in Europe, but undeniable expert evidence shows that not everybody is benefiting from it to the same extent. This is especially the case at night in Mid and North Wales.

“The inequity is clear. In 2023 and 2024, we were unable to attend 551 incidents in Mid and North Wales, between 8pm and 2am. Every incident involved real people with very serious and life-threatening conditions.

“Aligned with this, our scarce and highly specialist resources in Caernarfon and Welshpool are significantly underused. In 2023 and 2024, there were 199 days when our crews in Caernarfon did not see a patient. In Welshpool, it was 163 days without patient contact. In comparison, in Dafen it was 28 days and in Cardiff four days. That’s the equivalent of a year, in a two-year period, when our Welshpool and Caernarfon operations combined saw no patients. This pattern is consistent year-on-year.

Medical and aviation experts have conducted extensive research and have identified a way forward that allows us to attend more people in a life or limb-threatening emergency. The judgement from the Court of Appeal brings the legal action to an end and allows this vital

process to commence.”

The spokesperson added: “This has been, without doubt, the most scrutinised development of any air ambulance anywhere. It has included world-leading expert-supported research and analysis, and has been scrutinised by a 20-month independent review and put through several legal processes. At every stage during the last three years, the rationale for change and the decision-making process have been validated in the strongest terms.

“To the large number of people in mid and north west Wales, and across the country, who have reached out to show their support and convey their trust in the charity, we cannot thank you enough.”

Campaigners against the closures have been asked to comment.