Defence

Serco bids a fond farewell to RAF Northolt

Posted 8 April 2022

After more than 18 years of providing support to 32 (The Royal) Squadron, Serco has said a fond farewell to RAF Northolt as its long-standing Command Support Air Transport (CSAT) contract came to an end.

Image courtesy Serco

The BAe146 aircraft, which Serco has been supporting, have retired from service and the contract to provide maintenance and stores support is therefore also complete. As a sub-contractor to BAE Systems, Serco has provided services including maintenance and aircraft support operations, Aircraft Ground Engineers and Sponsored Reserves to support worldwide operations. Serco also previously supported the Squadron’s HS125 aircraft before their earlier retirement.

Serco teams have also been directly involved in supporting military missions as Sponsored Reserves. Eighty-eight Serco employees were deployed for nearly 40,000 days between 2004-2019, with some people serving for almost 2,000 days. As recognition of their military service as Sponsored Reserves, over 100 campaign medals have been awarded to Serco personnel, including for operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and NATO operations in Libya.

Air Commodore David Manning, RAF Air Mobility Force Commander, said: “Serco has given outstanding support to the Air Mobility Force and BAe146 CSAT and formerly HS125 operations over many years – at home and deployed on operations. As the Force Commander, and a previous Station Commander at RAF Northolt, I have witnessed first-hand how well they have operated and how, as both civilians and as Sponsored Reserves, the Serco team has epitomised the Whole Force Approach.”

Paul McCarter, Managing Director of Serco Defence said: “The support that we have provided to the RAF on both the HS125 and BAe146 is a demonstration of the expertise our workforce can bring to bear on technical support programmes. It also showcases the Whole Force approach we adopt to integrate with our military customer, working as one team to deliver for the MoD and the local community. We are very proud of these achievements, and our offer of service adaptability, which have been made possible by the hard work and determination of our colleagues at Northolt who have made a difference every day by delivering mission critical services.”