London's Air Ambulance to begin 24-hour service
London's air ambulance flew 1,741 missions in 2009
London's Air Ambulance is to operate 24 -hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week, after the organisation secured new funding.
Until now the helicopters have only flown around the clock on weekends. The service has closed between 0100 GMT and 0700 GMT on weekdays.
But London Ambulance's decision to fund the wages of all airborne paramedics means the service will go fulltime.
In 2009 the air ambulance flew 1,741 missions, 410 of which were at night. It attended the 7/7 terrorist attacks.
'Keep Londoners safe'
The new 24-hour service will start on 1 March.
Consultant Dr Gareth Davies said: "The decision by the London Ambulance Service to fund our paramedics means that we can become the first air ambulance service in the UK to provide medical teams around the clock.
"The extra funding will prove to be invaluable for our service, which is dedicated to helping keep Londoners safe day and night, every single day of the year."
Typically air ambulance crews attend to the most serious cases in London, such as shootings, stabbings and the worst traffic accidents.
The charity is part-funded by the NHS but also relies on public donations.