What Devon Air Ambulance does

Devon Air Ambulance Trust is a registered charity (No. 1077998) founded in 1992 and headquartered in Exeter, United Kingdom, that provides Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) and critical care car response across the county of Devon. The service operates two aircraft and a fleet of specialist road response vehicles staffed by critical care paramedics and doctors capable of advanced pre-hospital interventions, including temperature-controlled drug and blood product administration, supported by third-party location services such as What3Words. Missions are provided free of charge at the point of use to Devon residents and visitors, with the organization receiving £0 in government funding and relying entirely on public donations, a weekly charity lottery, gifts in wills, in-memory giving, charity retail shops, fundraising events, and philanthropy from trusts, foundations, and corporate partners.

The business model is a charitable donations-and-fundraising engine diversified across recurring giving, transactional retail, event participation with minimum fundraising targets (e.g., London Marathon £2,000 per runner, Heli Hike £200 per participant), a canvasser-driven lottery subscription, legacy gifts (one in three missions funded this way), and corporate partnerships. Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven: supporters are acquired and retained through patient storytelling, community talks, CPR and defibrillator training programs, and over a dozen annual events ranging from athletic challenges to local festivals such as the Totnes Beer & Cider Fest. Two wholly-owned subsidiaries, Devon Air Ambulance Trading Company Limited and Devon Air Ambulance Training Company Limited, support ancillary commercial and training activity.

Operational scale in 2025 reached 1,302 helicopter missions and 753 critical care car missions, with 125 children assisted, bringing cumulative missions since founding to 36,837. The charity is integrated into the Devon emergency response ecosystem alongside NHS Ambulance Services, Devon & Somerset Fire and Rescue, HART, BASICS, Coastguard, RNLI, and search and rescue teams. Beyond emergency response, the trust runs community CPR and defibrillator training, patient aftercare and recovery support, a digital accessibility program (97% Silktide Index score, January 2025), and research collaborations including with the British Antarctic Survey and the IMPACT road-injury consortium.

Name

Devon Air Ambulance

Legal name

Devon Air Ambulance Trust

Website

https://daat.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Devon Air Ambulance Trust is a registered UK charity, founded in 1992 in Exeter, that provides free Helicopter Emergency Medical Services and critical care car response to patients across Devon, funded entirely by donations, a lottery, retail shops, and fundraising events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Emergency Air Ambulance Services

NAICS

Other Nonscheduled Air Transportation (481219), Ambulance Services (621910), Ambulance Services (62191)

SIC

Air Transportation, Nonscheduled (4522), Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Air Medical Transport (Helicopter/Fixed-Wing) (HLAFANAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Air Ambulance & Medical Passenger Charter Operators (THABADAK), Medical Air Transport (Air Ambulance/Patient Transfer) (TLAFABAG), Emergency Medical Services (EMS) & Ambulance Services (BPAIAGAC), Ambulance Fleet, Equipment & Logistics Services (HLAFANAN)

Keywords

• Air ambulance services
• Emergency medical response
• Critical care transport
• Charity helicopter service
• Community first response

Headquarters

HQ city

Exeter

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Charity Lottery: Weekly lottery where ticket sales directly fund critical care operations across Devon. Every ticket sold helps fund critical care missions.
2. Regular Donations: Regular giving through direct debit, online payments, and cheque/BACS donations from supporters
3. Gifts in Wills: Legacy gifts and bequests in supporters' wills; one in three missions is funded by gifts in Wills
4. In-Memory Giving: Tribute funds created in memory of loved ones, funeral collections, and in-memory donations
5. Retail Shop Sales: Charity shops throughout Devon and online Ebay store selling donated items and collectibles
6. Fundraising Events: Revenue from organized events including athletic challenges, community events, corporate events, and third-party events where DAA is beneficiary
7. Corporate Partnerships: Corporate donations and partnerships with companies like Parker Hannifin, My Favourite Voucher Codes, and others
8. Philanthropy and Trusts: Funding from trusts, foundations, and major donors through the philanthropy program

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Devon Air Ambulance Trust is a registered charity that provides Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) and specialist Critical Care Cars across Devon, delivering advanced pre-hospital clinical care (critical care paramedics and doctors) to patients at the scene of medical emergencies. The service operates 24/7, is free at the point of use, and is funded entirely by charitable donations, a weekly lottery, charity shop sales, and community fundraising events.

Product overview

Devon Air Ambulance Trust operates as a charitable air ambulance service providing emergency medical response across Devon. The core service comprises helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) and critical care cars that deliver advanced pre-hospital care directly to patients at the scene of medical emergencies. The organization supplements its emergency operations with community-focused services including CPR and defibrillator training programs, a weekly charity lottery, retail shops, and various fundraising events such as the Devon Cycle Challenge and Devon Heli Hike. Patient aftercare services provide ongoing support following incidents. The service operates independently of government funding, relying entirely on public donations and fundraising activities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) Emergency air ambulance helicopter service providing rapid response to time-critical medical emergencies across Devon, delivering advanced critical care directly to patients at scene by critical care paramedics and doctors.
• Critical Care Cars Specialist road-based critical care vehicles deployed when helicopter response is not suitable, providing the same advanced medical interventions to patients across Devon (753 critical care car missions in 2025).
• CPR and Defibrillator Training Community education programme providing CPR and AED (automated external defibrillator) training to members of the public, featuring app-connected training manikins with real-time feedback on compression depth and speed.
• Devon Air Ambulance Charity Lottery Weekly charity lottery offering participants the chance to win prizes while raising funds to support the air ambulance service operations.
• Devon Cycle Challenge Annual cycling challenge event with three route options across East Devon, engaging supporters while raising funds for the charity.
• Devon Heli Hike Annual hiking challenge along the South West Coast Path in South Devon, offering 6, 14, or 26-mile routes to raise funds (minimum fundraising target of £200 per participant).
• Devon Air Ambulance Charity Shops Network of retail shops throughout Devon selling donated items, with an online eBay shop selling hundreds of collectables, unusual and high-quality items.
• Patient Aftercare Post-incident support services for patients and their families following a DAA mission, including recovery guidance and ongoing care coordination.

Quantifiable outcome

• 36,837 total missions completed to date
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered minor, notable and core.

• South Devon CAMRAminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 2 July 2026South Devon CAMRA chose Devon Air Ambulance as charity partner for the Totnes Beer & Cider Fest. DAA will have a stall during the festival and will receive donations from unused beer tokens.
• My Favourite Voucher CodesnotableGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 July 2026Monthly charity poll partner where Devon Air Ambulance was nominated for July 2026. Public votes determine which charity receives 20% of company profits. Voting is free and every vote helps the charity.
• Parker HannifinnotableGTM or Marketing Partner · 16 June 2026Manufacturing company Parker Hannifin made a generous donation funding the purchase of CPR and defibrillator training equipment including seven additional CPR training manikins with app feedback technology, three training AEDs, and transport cases. This partnership enables enhanced community CPR training capacity.
• QuotezoneminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Insurance comparison partnership through My Favourite Voucher Codes. Eligible insurance policies purchased after receiving a quote guarantee charitable donations to Devon Air Ambulance at no additional cost to the purchaser.
• IMPACT (Road Injury Research)notableStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Collaboration on road traffic collision research through the IMPACT bystander project. Patient & Public Involvement contributor Ausra Chukarov contributes survivor perspective to improve first critical moments in emergency response.
• British Antarctic Survey (BAS)notableStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Critical Care Paramedic Nigel Lang undertook a two-month secondment with BAS supporting scientific teams on Signy Island in the Antarctic. BAS covered all costs, with Devon Air Ambulance supporting professional development. Skills gained benefit patient care back home.
• Devon & Somerset Fire and RescuecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-agency response partnership at emergency incidents. Fire crews work alongside DAA at serious incidents, providing expertise in vehicle extraction and scene safety.
• HART (Hazardous Area Response Team)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpecialist paramedic team that works alongside DAA at complex emergency scenes requiring hazardous area expertise.
• BASICS (British Association for Immediate Care)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPre-hospital doctor organization providing immediate care specialists who work with DAA at serious incidents.
• NHS Ambulance ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with NHS ambulance services for coordinated emergency response across Devon and neighbouring counties.
• Coastguard and RNLIcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoastguard rescue helicopters and RNLI work with DAA at coastal and maritime emergencies in Devon.
• Search and RescuecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMountain and moorland search and rescue teams coordinate with DAA for incidents in remote Devon locations.
• Run Fit Run FastminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRunning coaches providing training tips and training plans for London Marathon charity place participants.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Midlands Air Ambulance Charity: Largest regional air ambulance charity in the UK covering the West Midlands, Staffordshire, Shropshire, Worcestershire, Herefordshire, and Gloucestershire. Comparable scale, multi-base helicopter operations, and lottery/donation-driven funding.
• Cornwall Air Ambulance Trust: UK charity air ambulance serving Cornwall with a similar donor-funded model, helicopter-based critical care service, and reliance on lottery, legacy giving, and community fundraising.
• Great Western Air Ambulance Charity: Charity-funded air ambulance covering Bristol, Bath, Gloucestershire, Somerset, and Wiltshire. Directly comparable in operating model, clinical capability (critical care paramedics and doctors), and community-led fundraising approach.
• Wiltshire Air Ambulance: A registered UK charity operating helicopter emergency medical services across Wiltshire and surrounding counties. Operates a comparable charity-funded model with no government funding, lottery and donation-driven revenue, and similar mission volume.
• Magpas Air Ambulance: UK charity delivering advanced pre-hospital emergency care by helicopter and rapid response vehicle across the East of England. Directly comparable clinical capability and charity-funded structure.
• Scotland's Charity Air Ambulance: Charity-funded helicopter emergency response service across Scotland. Directly comparable in mission profile, charity-only funding, and dependence on community and legacy giving.
• Yorkshire Air Ambulance: Registered charity operating helicopter emergency medical services across Yorkshire. Comparable scale, fundraising structure, and clinical model, with similar dependence on donations, lottery, and legacies.
• East Anglian Air Ambulance: Charity-funded air ambulance serving Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, and Suffolk. Operates helicopters and critical care cars with advanced clinical teams, matching Devon's service architecture and funding model.
• Air Ambulance Kent Surrey Sussex: Charity-funded helicopter emergency medical service covering Kent, Surrey, and Sussex. Comparable operational scope, donor-funded model, and HEMS delivery model with critical care teams.

Others

• Air Ambulances UK: The national membership organization representing UK air ambulance charities, of which Devon Air Ambulance is a member. Not a direct competitor but a coordinating industry body that sets standards and amplifies advocacy across the sector.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/DevonAirAmbulance
• Xx.com/DevonAirAmb

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Devon Air Ambulance