Following the initial appeal to the public for funds in 1986, the service commenced on 27 Aug 1992. In UK terms, Devon is a big county to cover. To reduce cost and establish a close liaison, the south Devon service is co-located with the Devon and Cornwall Police helicopter. After the success of this Exeter based service, a second helicopter was introduced in Apr 2005, based in north Devon to reduce flight times. It moved to its present purpose-built building on the south side of Eaglescott in early 2007.
In 2016 they initiated nighttime flying and created a network of Community Landing pre-surveyed sites.
In 2022 Devon Air Ambulance was tasked to 1,255 missions by helicopter and 573 missions by Critical Care Car.
In 2025, the Devon Air Ambulance Trust (DAAT), which owns and operates two helicopters, completed 2,125 land and air missions.