Fixed wing aircraft
Between April 2023 and March 2024, our fixed wing crews were deployed 577 times and flew for 506 hours in support of 39 different police forces.
They also patrolled for 202 hours.
The crews operated from a temporary base at Leeds Bradford Airport, before relocating to a new permanent home at East Midlands Airport in December 2023.
This was due to the announcement made by Peel Group in October 2022 that Doncaster Airport, from where the fixed wing fleet originally operated, was to close.
The new location brings a range of benefits.
It is geographically central and offers the opportunity for greater national coverage. It also allows for crew recruitment from a wider pool of police forces.
Although based in the Midlands, the fleet is a national asset.
This means it is deployed wherever it best meets the demand from police forces for air support.
The fixed wing aircrafts' flexible national deployment capability, which includes forward operating from locations across the country, has meant it has been ideally suited to a number of taskings, including:
- Targeted motorcycle operations in South Wales, North Wales, Humberside, Staffordshire and West Midlands
- Large scale public disorder operations
- High profile football matches and events
