MORE lives are set to be saved after the air ambulance service that operates in Oxfordshire revealed it will begin night flights.

From next year, the Thames Valley and Chiltern Air Ambulance will be able to fly 24 hours a day from its base at RAF Benson after getting a new helicopter.

The service, which covers Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire, is planning to lease a state-of-the-art machine equipped for night flying.

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Charity chief executive Mark McGeown said: “Night flying takes helicopter emergency medical services to the next level and TVACAA truly into a new era in our nearly 15-year long history.

“This is a major achievement for our service.

“It is through the hard work of our dedicated team that we have been able to achieve this.

Spokeswoman Antonia Taylor said: “We’re getting a brand new helicopter, an Airbus EC135T3.

“It’s optimised for night flying. Realistically, it’ll be the second half of 2015 when night flights start. It’s likely we’ll employ more staff; we’ll have additional paramedic shifts to fill.”

The Thames Valley service launched in 1999 and has so far flown more than 15,000 missions.

The number of flights varies over the year but averages three a day.

During the summer, there can be up to 10 flights.

Nine out of 10 have a doctor on board and the TVCAA’s goal is to ensure there will soon be one on every flight.

The charity will also expand its staff quarters to accommodate the extended operating times.

Most incidents are patients injured in road accidents or significant falls. The need for the expanded service has risen with 35 trauma patients transported in the last three months, compared with 21 in the previous quarter.

Ms Taylor said: “The South Central Ambulance Service takes the initial call. They determine whether the incident warrants a call-out.

“We have the pilot, one or two paramedics, one doctor and the patient in the helicopter.

“We also have blood on board which offers more treatment options.”

The news comes as the service marks National Air Ambulance Week this week.

“Mrs Taylor added: “National Air Ambulance Week is primarily outreach for us. This announcement has been leading it. We’re thanking people for their donations.”

The charity is upgrading to the new helicopter alongside Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance.

Apart from their night-flying capabilities, the new machines can remain in the air longer and use less fuel.

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