The National Police Air Service (NPAS) has awarded a five-year contract for airworthiness management, maintenance and parts to Specialist Aviation Services (SAS) for the 6 MD Explorer aircraft in the NPAS fleet.

Under this agreement which starts on Wednesday 1 October,  SAS will provide 5,400 hours of support per year – or 27,000 hours over the five year term.

Ollie Dismore, Flight Operations Director for NPAS, said:

“I am pleased to officially announce this partnership with Specialist Aviation Services Limited.

“Following stiff competition for this important contract, we are delighted to be working with the company in supporting our fleet.

“This new departure, which includes novel fleet-management and business processes, will allow us to maximise our operational output.

“This single contract replaces the many and varied contracts individual forces had in place before the start of NPAS and means better value for money for the tax payer.

“This agreement maximises economies of scale.”

Specialist Aviation Services supports over 35 MD 902 Explorer helicopters and a number of Police organisations in the UK and overseas.  On learning of the new contract award, Group Managing Director Henk Schaeken said: “We are very pleased to maintain our strong working relationship with NPAS to enable them to deliver an effective and cost efficient rotary wing policing service”.

AHUK’s Managing Director Colin James, said:

“It is a great achievement to have won this contract in a very competitive environment. Everyone at Airbus Helicopters is justifiably proud of our involvement with the National Police Air Service. We’ve proven, yet again, that premium performance, safety and quality are a winning combination.”