Supporting airborne security for the Olympic Games: Eurocopter UK’s Maintenance Mission Control Center is ready for the task

Eurocopter's new Maintenance Mission Control Center in Oxford, England is setting new standards in operator support – particularly for the security agencies involved in the upcoming London Olympic Games.


Located at Oxford Airport and operated by Eurocopter UK, this facility manages more than 2,000 maintenance events per year at Eurocopter bases in Oxford and Hawarden/Wales, as well as on customer operating locations in the UK and Ireland. "Maximizing our service capabilities to provide customers with the best aircraft availability is a total commitment of Eurocopter, and we back this engagement with investments in new facilities, IT systems, mobile support units and our staff – meeting even the most demanding circumstances, such as the Olympic games," said Markus Steinke, the Managing Director of Eurocopter UK. "Our Maintenance Mission Control Center at Oxford is part of the strategy to develop state-of-the-art, around-the-clock, efficient services – all provided locally, be it to individual helicopter owners or large fleet operators."

Eurocopter UK provides one-stop-shop solutions to more than half of the UK police air support units and to a large population of private, utility and air ambulance operators across the country.

During the Olympic Games, an estimated 7,000 flight hours of police and security air units will be supported by Eurocopter's Maintenance Mission Control Center. Steps taken by Eurocopter UK at this operational center for the Olympic Games include a doubling of such critical resources as the aircraft-on-ground hotline and technical services, implementation of a 24/7 maintenance duty roster, the management of vendor support for systems ranging from engines to mission equipment, and operation of 20 GPS-tracked mobile units. The local Olympic support is further backed–up by dedicated resources of Eurocopter's primary facilities in Marignane, France and Donauwörth, Germany.

"A total of 30 Eurocopter-built aircraft – including EC135s, EC145s and Puma MK1s – constitute the helicopter backbone for the Olympic Games' security, operated by the London Metropolitan Police, the adjoining cities' police forces, the British Special Forces and the Royal Air Force," added Steinke. "We are ready to support all involved in these vital duties."

About Eurocopter UK Ltd.

Eurocopter UK Ltd. is headquartered in Oxford, with additional bases in Dublin (Ireland), Belfast (Northern Ireland), Hawarden (Wales) and Aberdeen (Scotland). Through this fully-owned subsidiary, Eurocopter enjoys a reputation for innovation, high quality and a strong customer service ethos. Having achieved an exemplary performance in the customization, distribution and support of Eurocopter products for civil and public service customers during the past 30 years, Eurocopter UK also provides state-of-the-art services to the oil & gas Industry and the UK armed forces. The Ministry of Defence relies on 100 Eurocopter helicopters for transport, training and Special Forces missions, and has awarded the Puma Upgrade Programme to Eurocopter UK Ltd. With over 450 helicopters in service in the British Isles, Eurocopter is the leading supplier of turbine helicopters in the United Kingdom