PremiAir completes move to Oxford Airport

Tuesday 4th November, 2008

PremiAir’s fixed wing maintenance operation has successfully completed its move to a newly refurbished 20,000 sq ft hangar at Oxford Airport. The new facilities have been approved for EASA Part 145 for base maintenance and are fully functioning as the home for PremiAir’s fixed wing business and a new centre of excellence for Beechcraft MRO.

Hangar No 1 now reflects PremiAir’s exact specifications, fitted with bespoke electrics, lighting, heating and modern insulation. The £1 million investment in the facility includes new workshops, customer reception areas, office space and dedicated car parking.

PremiAir is creating 15 new engineering jobs at Oxford. Five new personnel have already joined the company, together with Brett Dale-Heaps as Base Maintenance Manager who joins from Harrods Aviation. It is envisaged that the new facility will have provided employment for 25 to 30 personnel by year end.

“We are delighted to have completed our move to Oxford Airport. It is an excellent addition to our line up of bases in southern England and whilst our Beechcraft Authorised Service Centre business will be the core activity at the new centre, we are also looking to extend our executive helicopter charter and management services to aircraft owners and charter customers in the region,” said David McRobert, PremiAir Group Managing Director. “
”The first PremiAir 1A Business Jet was accepted into the facility on the 20th October for a maintenance check. This was followed the next day by another PremiAir 1A, operated by Hawker Beechcraft.”

PremiAir’s existing facilities at Blackbushe Airport in Surrey are now a dedicated rotary engineering base, providing much needed space to increase helicopter maintenance activities.

Contact PremiAir at Oxford: PremiAir Aircraft Engineering Ltd, Hangar 1, Oxford Airport, Kidlington, Oxford OX5 1RA. Telephone +44 (0)1865 852520.
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Editor’s Notes:

• Established 25 years ago, PremiAir is the UK’s largest Executive Helicopter operating and charter company. It was purchased from the Sir Robert McAlpine Group by von Essen in 2007 and almost concurrently the Group ratified a complementary purchase of The London Heliport, which is managed and operated by PremiAir.

• PremiAir flies approximately 4,000 charter hours a year with its modern fleet of Sikorsky 76s, Eurocopter Twin Squirrels and one Bell 222. It has 18 Executive Helicopters on management programmes, providing a turnkey service to the owner – either private companies or individuals.

• PremiAir Aircraft Engineering, an FAA, EASA, CAA Part 145-approved organisation, is a Hawker Beechcraft Authorised Service Centre supporting the full range of Beechcraft products. For rotary wing support PremiAir is a Sikorsky Service Centre for the S76 (all models) and a Bell Customer Service Facility for Bell 222, and 430. It is also one of the largest Eurocopter maintenance centres in Europe supporting EC155, AS365 Dauphin and AS355 Twin Squirrel. Also it provides for support services on the AgustaWestland 109 model range. PremiAir is also a Pratt & Whitney Canada recognised maintenance facility and is a distributor for Honeywell, Rockwell Collins and numerous other equipment vendors.

• PremiAir Aircraft Engineering boasts Part 21J and G design and manufacturer approvals for aircraft modifications. With a large and experienced design office team, the company provides full refurbishment and upgrade services on most executive helicopter types and a wide range of fixed wing aircraft, including the full Beechcraft model range.
• PremiAir is a leading player in the provision of pilots to the UK Police Forces with contracts with 10 UK / Ireland Police Air Support units – both rotary and fixed wing operations.