National Police Air Service selects Airbus for helicopter fleet support and maintenance

Oxford, National Police Air Service (NPAS) of the United Kingdom, has selected Airbus Helicopters to provide support and maintenance for its fleet of 19 helicopters following a competitive procurement.

Oxford-based Airbus Helicopters UK will support the operation of 15 Airbus EC135 and four EC145 role-equipped aircraft flown by NPAS in support of the 43 regional police forces of England and Wales.

The helicopters are based at 14 locations and are among the most intensively used police helicopters in the world.

Under the terms of a five-year contract due to begin in October 2019 , Airbus will provide a package of services comprising of: maintenance of aircraft and mission system equipment, continuing airworthiness management, supply of spare parts and engine support. The contract also includes the option for modifications to the aircraft and mission systems where previously these had to be tendered separately under procurement regulations. This follows an earlier contract with the company signed in 2014,

Airbus Helicopters UK Managing Director, Colin James, said: “The national infrastructure that we have developed together with NPAS to support its ever more demanding requirements is absolutely unique worldwide in its capability, throughput and efficiency. We take great pleasure in this opportunity to continue our journey with NPAS in the coming years, and to making our contribution to the UK’s security.”

Formed in 2012, NPAS operates 24/7, 365 days a year.

Steph McKenzie, Head of Technical Services at NPAS, said: “Following a tendering process, we have selected Airbus Helicopters UK as our preferred aircraft maintenance contractor for the next five years. We believe their expertise, and heritage of more than 30 years’ involvement in UK police aviation, is ideal for providing engineering support for our fleet. Our aircraft will collectively be used for around 20,000 tasks every year, as requested by all police forces in England and Wales.”

About Airbus
Airbus is a global leader in aeronautics, space and related services. In 2018, it generated revenues of €64 billion and employed a workforce of around 134,000. Airbus offers the most comprehensive range of passenger airliners. Airbus is also a European leader providing tanker, combat, transport and mission aircraft, as well as one of the world’s leading space companies. In helicopters, Airbus provides the most efficient civil and military rotorcraft solutions worldwide.

About the National Police Air Service
We provide borderless air support to all police forces of England and Wales 24/7, 365 days a year, from our national network of 14 bases. The National Police Air Service exists to keep communities safe and tasks which pose the highest risk to communities are prioritised in line with local police and crime plans. All requests for support are managed through one central point in our national operations centre in West Yorkshire.

The National Police Air Service was formed in October 2012 following the national review of air support conducted by the Home Office in 2009. We are the first and only collaboration of all police forces in England and Wales, regulated by law.

The National Police Air Service is delivered by West Yorkshire Police on behalf of British Policing and governed by a National Board made up of six elected Police and Crime Commissioners and six Chief Constables each representing their policing regions. It is funded through the collaborative agreement of participating police forces to each pay a proportionate contribution toward this overall cost of delivery which corresponds to their service use.