The Air Corps yesterday completed its first three air ambulance missions of 2012.
In a statement, the Defence Forces press office said the Air Corps completed 71 air ambulance missions in 2011.
Due to the number of ongoing operations during the day, the Air Corps placed a fourth crew on standby to cover further missions.
The first air ambulance was completed by the Casa fixed-wing aircraft, which travelled to London with a HSE team to meet a patient and bring them to Dublin.
The second operation was completed by the Learjet, which brought a patient and HSE team from Casement Aerodrome to RAF Northolt, for onward road transport to a London hospital.
The third was completed by helicopter, which brought a HSE team from Casement to Tralee and returned with a patient for Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin.