Search and rescue helicopter annual statistics: year ending March 2024
Civilian search and rescue helicopter activity statistics in the United Kingdom for the year ending March 2024.
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Statistics on civilian search and rescue helicopter (SARH) activity in the United Kingdom, based on details of taskings recorded by the Aeronautical Rescue Co-ordination Centre (ARCC).
For the year ending March 2024:
- there were 2,735 civilian SARH taskings
- Prestwick base was the busiest of the 10 bases, responding to 402 taskings
- there were 1,425 people rescued and 159 people assisted across all taskings
There was a 6% increase in taskings compared to the year ending March 2023. The majority of taskings were classified as:
- rescue or recovery (1,351)
- support (576)
- search (518)
- pre-arranged transfers (290)
Interactive dashboard
Explore the data via our interactive search and rescue helicopter statistics dashboard covering SARH taskings from April 2015 onwards.
Notes and guidance
Notes and definitions and guidance about quality of these statistics is available.
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Search and rescue helicopter statistics
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