East Anglian Air Ambulance Launches £8.2m Appeal for New Cambridge Base as Airport Closure Looms

East Anglian Air Ambulance (EAAA) has issued an urgent call to arms for the regional aviation and local communities, launching an £8.2 million fundraising appeal to secure its operational future in Cambridgeshire.

The charity, which provides life-saving critical care across Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, and Suffolk, must relocate its Cambridge operations before the planned closure of Cambridge City Airport in 2030. Having recently secured planning permission for a new site at New Shardelowes Farm near Fulbourn, the race is now on to fund the construction of the facility.

The charity warned that failure to establish a new centrally located base would effectively cut its service in half. Currently, EAAA operates from two hubs: one in Norfolk and one in Cambridge. Without the Cambridge base, response times across the western side of the region would skyrocket, potentially putting 1,000 lives a year at risk.

From its current Cambridge home, the Anglia Two helicopter can reach approximately 1.2 million people within a ten-minute flight window.

“We are at a pivotal moment in our history,” said Matthew Jones, CEO of East Anglian Air Ambulance. “For nearly two decades, we have worked in partnership with the owners of Cambridge Airport, Marshall, to ensure our crews can reach people in their greatest time of need. Now, this vital part of our life-saving service is under threat.”

The new Cambridge Air Base Appeal is not just about replacing lost infrastructure; the charity intends for the Fulbourn site to be a “world-class” facility. Plans include:

• Enhanced operational capacity to meet increasingly complex medical needs.
• Specialist training facilities for critical care crews.
• Sustainable longevity to serve the community for decades to come.

In 2025, EAAA crews treated 1,845 patients, including 151 children. The service acts as a mobile emergency department, bringing hospital-level treatment—including blood transfusions and advanced anaesthesia—directly to the scene of an accident or medical emergency.

How to Support the Appeal

The charity estimates that if every household in its service area donated just £10, the £8.2 million target would be reached immediately.

EAAA has introduced several ways for the public and the aviation community to get involved:

• Digital Donations: Visit eaaa.org.uk/base or text BASE10 or BASE20 to 70480 to donate £10 or £20.
• Phone: Call the donation hotline on 03450 669 999.
• Helicopter Recognition: Any donation of £175 or more will be recognised by adding a supporter’s chosen name to the livery of one of the charity’s helicopters.

“It takes a team to save a life,” added Jones. “Whatever people can give will be greatly appreciated to ensure we can continue to bring the hospital to the patient when every second counts.”