Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Air ambulance centre opens in Hawke's Bay

Updated at 9:58 pm on 9 October 2009

A purpose-built air ambulance centre has been opened at Hawke's Bay airport.

The joint initiative involves the district health board, Skyline Aviation and the Hawke's Bay Air Ambulance Charitable Trust, which says the facility is world class.

The trust is one of the busiest in New Zealand and last year flew 1000 missions and transferred 1800 patients to hospitals in Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland.

The centre includes a hangar large enough to house three specially equipped planes, a purpose designed ambulance loading bay, a room for the families of patients and a base for pilots and management.

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