NPAS launches new base

The UK’s National Police Air Service (NPAS) has begun operating from a new permanent base at East Midlands Airport.

The establishment of the new base follows the closure in 2022 of Doncaster Sheffield Airport by its operator, the Peel Group, forcing NPAS’s fixed-wing fleet to relocate.

In the intervening year, the fleet flew from a temporary base at Leeds Bradford Airport. “However,” the service said in a statement, “this was always a short-term measure until a more suitable location could be secured.”

NPAS operates a fleet of four Vulcanair planes, which provide air support to all police forces across England and Wales, with the exception of the Metropolitan Police Service.

Operations began after Christmas

Flying operations from East Midlands Airport began on 26 December 2023. In the subsequent two weeks, NPAS stated that its crews have carried out “daily airborne patrols, and have been tasked to support 12 police forces”.

NPAS Head of Operations Chief Inspector Sarah Whitworth said: “We wish to thank the Multiflight team at Leeds Bradford Airport for accommodating us on a temporary basis, enabling the continuation of our critical, national service with limited disruption.

“Credit also goes to our team of pilots and tactical flight officers who, despite facing significant personal disruption, have continued to deliver vital operations across England and Wales whilst assisting in the relocation of their base, and everything that entails.”

She added: “Thanks also go to the NPAS project team and the staff at East Midlands Airport, who have worked hard behind the scenes to establish safe operations from our new base.”

Captain Chris Chambers, an EC135 pilot with NPAS, spoke to AirMed&Rescue as part of our July 2023 feature on the configuration of police aircraft.