Air Ambulance Mission Halted as Irish Air Corps Grounds PC-12s

UPDATE: The Irish Air Corps has been forced to ground its fleet of four PC-12 aircraft for a week, leading to a critical air ambulance mission being “stood down.” This urgent decision came after an audit revealed significant maintenance shortcomings at Baldonnel airfield, impacting emergency medical services across Ireland.

The PC-12s, purchased for €50 million in 2020, serve as essential assets for surveillance, government transport, and air ambulance flights. On 15 September 2025, the National Emergency Coordination Centre (NEOC) confirmed that the lack of available aircraft resulted in a deferral of an air ambulance request, leaving patients without necessary transport options.

Sources indicate that the grounding was primarily due to insufficient technicians—less than half of the required ground staff were present due to recent staff departures and ongoing recruitment challenges at Baldonnel. This situation has raised alarms about the operational capacity of the Air Corps, with insiders noting that this is not the first instance of aircraft being grounded for similar reasons.

A damaging quality assurance audit highlighted deficiencies in the “Continuous Airworthiness Maintenance Programme (CAMP)” for the PC-12 fleet. The meeting minutes reveal that no planned operations for the PC-12s were scheduled that week, apart from training, significantly hampering their ability to respond to emergencies.

Officials, including Brigadier General Rory O’Connor, received the audit findings, emphasizing the urgency of addressing these maintenance issues. The minutes from the meeting stated: “An Air Ambulance request deferred since last week was stood down by NEOC this afternoon.” The report suggests potential solutions may involve hiring a civilian contractor, such as Rose Aviation, or working directly with the aircraft manufacturer, Pilatus.

Fortunately, the PC-12 aircraft have since returned to service, and operations resumed just days later. Recently, one of the aircraft was utilized to transport an Irish political delegation to a significant EU meeting in Brussels. However, concerns linger as the PC-12 fleet has experienced multiple issues in the past, such as a serious fault that prevented the aircraft from returning home after ferrying former Tánaiste Micheál Martin to Luxembourg in October 2023.

While the Irish Defence Forces maintain that operational security prevents them from discussing fleet disposition, the implications of this latest grounding are significant. The challenges faced by the Air Corps could impact emergency services and military operations, raising questions about the future of air transport capabilities in Ireland.

As developments unfold, the community remains watchful for further announcements regarding the operational status of the fleet and the measures being implemented to rectify staffing shortages.

Stay tuned for updates on this critical situation affecting air ambulance services.