A new multi-million-pound air ambulance base has been officially opened.

Health minister Shona Robison formally unveiled the purpose-built £4.5m facility, which also houses clinical retrieval teams, at Glasgow Airport on Friday

The base brings the air ambulance helicopter and fixed-wing operations to a single location for the first time.

Scotstar, the specialist retrieval service for critically ill children and adults, will also operate from the base. Around 85 staff will work at the new building.

Ms Robison, said: "This new facility brings together many life-saving services which should help to give those in need the care and urgent response required from our ambulance service.

"The Scottish Government’s investment in this base demonstrates our ongoing commitment to the Scottish Ambulance Service and to the continued improvement of urgent care for patients.

"The Scottish Ambulance Service is dedicated to providing world-class emergency care to the people of Scotland and investments like this new base show an active movement towards that goal."

Last year, air ambulance teams undertook 3,559 missions across the country while Scotstar teams responded to 2,654 cases, of which 491 were by air.

David Garbutt, chairman of the Scottish Ambulance Service, said: "The new base is the only one of its kind in the UK, aligning air ambulance services with the specialist clinical retrieval teams in a single location.

"Working closely together, the teams bring high quality specialist care to patients by road and air, that best meets their needs."

Pauline Howie, chief executive of the Scottish Ambulance Service, said: "Our air ambulance and Scotstar teams provide vital life saving clinical care to patients across the whole of Scotland.

"The new purpose-built facility is integral to our long-term strategy to deliver the most appropriate clinical care to patients, wherever they may be."