Record number of life-saving air ambulance flights disrupted by drones
Pilots warn that a mid-air collision with a drone could be catastrophic.
Air ambulance pilots are issuing an urgent safety warning after a record number of emergency flights were disrupted by drones.
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New data shows 2025 was the worst year on record, with nine emergency flights disrupted by drones flying too close to helicopters.
Three incidents — in Bicester, Durham and Croydon — forced delays to life-saving missions.
With World Pilot Day this Sunday (26th April), the Civil Aviation Authority and the UK’s air ambulance charities are warning that drone users attempting to film emergency incidents, often for social media, are putting lives at risk.
Pilots warn that a mid-air collision with a drone could be catastrophic.
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Captain Andy Moorhouse, Chief Pilot at Essex & Herts Air Ambulance, said: “If you’re flying a drone and see or hear an air ambulance, land it immediately and let us do our job.
"We have no way of detecting drones in the air, and we’re dispatched to over 150 patients every month — it’s vital nothing gets in the way of that life-saving care.”
The UK’s 21 air ambulance charities carry out an average of 134 missions every day, yet pilots have no onboard systems to detect nearby drones, making these encounters particularly dangerous.
With up to one million drones now in use across the UK, and strict laws already prohibiting flying near emergency scenes, experts are urging users to fly responsibly.
New guidance and safety videos have also been launched to educate operators.