Pembrokeshire residents will today (Wednesday) get the chance to see the latest addition to the Wales Air Ambulance fleet.

The new EC135 T2e helicopter will be on show to the public from 3pm to 6pm at Withybush Airfield, Haverfordwest.

The addition will be the charity’s fourth aircraft, making it the biggest air ambulance operation in the UK.

The service, which needs £6m annually to maintain its provision, carried out 64 missions in Pembrokeshire in 2015.

“The amount of remote locations makes the air ambulance a vital service for places like Pembrokeshire,” said Christina Hawkins of the Wales Air Ambulance.

Going up in the new craft, passengers experience the speedy response times that the three-person crew work to.

The flight time from the Llanelli base to Haverfordwest is ten minutes and the helicopter can be anywhere in Wales within 20 minutes of a call.

Currently, the Wales Air Ambulance has a fleet of three helicopters operating from bases in Llanelli, Caernarfon and Welshpool. The new craft will increase provision across Wales and Pembrokeshire.

The summer months are increasingly busy for the service.

Last year, the charity introduced flying doctors on board its aircraft through a new scheme with the NHS, meaning they can provide more advanced treatments, including blood transfusions and anaesthesia.

Pilot of the new helicopter, James Greenfell, said the crew aim to stabilise patients on the scene before taking them to the correct hospital.

“On average we fly three missions a day, but it can be as many as five,” said the former police pilot. Today’s event is to show members of the public what their fundraising money has gone towards.

The new aircraft will become fully operational in August.