Wiltshire will not have a dedicated air ambulance in New Year until the new helicopter gets full safety clearance, it was revealed today.

Originally it was expected that the new helicopter, a Bell 429, would go into service on January 1, following the end of the existing joint Wiltshire Police helicopter and air ambulance on December 31.

But this involves many safety regulations, a spokesman said today, and dealing with these means the start date for the new Wiltshire Air Ambulance "has slipped a little from January 1st 2015, by a week or two". 

A binding contract means that the helicopter jointly used by Wiltshire Police, the MD 902, cannot be used after December 31.

But the charity's chief executive says he is confident that neighbouring air ambulances will provide the cover necessary 

David Philpott, WAA’s Chief Executive, said: “Because we wanted to maintain cover over the busy Christmas period and get maximum cost efficiencies out of our current contract which we share with the police, there will be a delay of a week or so while we enhance our safety training on the Bell 429 and satisfy the Civil Aviation Authority of our mission readiness.

“We take the safety of our crew and passengers very seriously and categorically will not compromise in this vital area.

"We are confident, however, that the people of Wiltshire will still have robust air ambulance cover which will be provided by neighbouring air ambulances.”

In addition WAA Critical Care paramedics will use its 4x4 Rapid Response Vehicle (RRV) to attend emergencies while the helicopter is not flying.

It is based at WAA Operations Centre at Wiltshire Police Headquarters, Devizes.

Once operational, the Bell 429 will fly up to 19 hours a day.

Initially it will operate in the daytime with night flying commencing in late spring 2015. This is to allow the pilots to accumulate experience with the aircraft and operating area while at the same time training for night flying.

Wiltshire Air Ambulance is available up to 19 hours a day, 365 days a year and the charity’s new helicopter will be the first Bell 429 to operate as an air ambulance in the UK.

It has a top speed of 156 knots (180 mph) making rapid response to any incident within the county achievable within minutes. 

From January will cost £2.5 million a year to keep the air ambulance flying -  £6,850 per day - which comes entirely from public donations.

Pilots George Lawrence and Nicky Smith returned to Devizes this week after intensive familiarisation training in Slovakia earlier this month.