About Us

Specialist Aviation Services

Leading EMS Operator

SAS Group has its origins in two companies, Police Aviation Services Ltd and Medical Aviation Services Ltd, both set up in the UK over 30 years ago during the infancy of Emergency Services aviation.

We continue to expand and develop our offering, which now includes VIP Helicopter Maintenance, Offshore Operations and Night HEMS using Night Vision Goggles.

Our UK headquarters are at Gloucestershire Airport in England. Our continental facility is in Genk, Belgium. From these two location, we support our maintenance bases and customer operations in Europe and the Middle East.

SAS HEMS Brochure
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Established
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Staff Employed
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Operating

A Little History

1984
A History
SAS Timeline 1 - Police Aviation Services Ltd Helicopter
Police Aviation Services Ltd.

The business started this year as Police Aviation Services Ltd. It was the first police aviation operator to be approved in the UK.

1986
A History
Medical Aviation Services Ltd.

Following the success of Police Aviation Services two years later Medical Aviation Services Ltd was formed.

1997
A History
Britten-Norman BN-2T Islander Circumnavigation

Specialist Aviation Services supported a Britten-Norman BN-2T Islander G-PASU as it circumnavigated the Northern Hemisphere lasting 64 days and covering 16,229 miles in support of two RAF Chipmunks.

1999
A History
Launch Operator for the MD 902.
SAS became the launch operator for the MD 902 in the UK.
2004
A History
SAS Timeline 4 - New Base at Gloucestershire Airport
New Base at Staverton Airport

We moved to a brand new purpose built hangar and office building at Staverton Airport, Gloucestershire, UK.

2011
A History
SAS Supports Trinity House

SAS signs a contract to support the offshore operations of Trinity House using the MD 902.

2015
A History
Specialist Aviation Services Ltd Formed

Specialist Aviation Services Ltd formed and all previous company names withdrawn from use.

2017
A History
SAS Timeline 7 - SAS Launch Operator for HEMS Leonardo AW169
HEMS Leonardo AW169 Launch Operator

SAS becomes the launch operator for HEMS Leonardo AW169 in the UK.

2018
A History
SAS Timeline 8 - First Passenger Operations with an AW 169 Helicopter
First Passenger Operation

SAS commences its first passenger operation with an AW 169 provided on behalf of Skybus to the Isles of Scilly from Lands End.

Capabilities & Approvals

Our type focus is the AW 139, AW 169 and MD 902 Explorer

In addition to our AOC which covers a variety of specialist operations, we hold a wide range of EASA and CAA approvals relating to several helicopter and fixed wing aircraft types. These cover maintenance, design, manufacturing and flight testing. Whilst our core business is the fulfilment of specialist turnkey aviation solutions, we also provide a number of other offerings. These include aircraft sales support, conversion training, aircraft maintenance, CAMO services, interiors, painting, bespoke aircraft modifications & STC’s. We are a member of the British Helicopter Association.

  • Air Operator Certificate (AOC) (UK)
  • Police AOC (UK)
  • ATO/TRTO (UK)
  • Part 147 Engineering (UK)
  • Part 145 Maintenance (UK &B)
  • Part 21 Design & Manufacture (UK)
  • FAA Repair Station (B)
  • All equivalent BCAR approvals

Meet Our Leadership

Our Chief Executive, Luke Farajallah has 30 years experience in the aviation sector. He has held senior executive positions in several major airlines including British Airways, easyJet, Wizzair and Flybe where he was the Group Chief Operating Officer. He was also the Managing Director of Bond Offshore Helicopters and a Board Member of Oil & Gas UK.

Luke Farajallah

Chief Executive Officer

Chief Operations Officer Natalie Bush joined SAS in July 2019, with responsibility for Operations including Flight Operations, Engineering, Maintenance, Design, Customer Operations and Safety and Compliance. She previously held the position of Director of Safety and Security and Captain at UK regional airline Flybe. Natalie graduated from Britannia Royal Naval College as a Warfare Officer serving on various Royal Navy Warships before qualifying as a commercial pilot in 2004.

Natalie Bush

Chief Operations Officer

Rob joined SAS as the CFO late 2020 to oversee all financial requirements of the SAS group.  Responsible for a small team and based out of Staverton the role involves careful monitoring of the group’s financial resources to ensure the business maximises returns for shareholders as well as involvement in commercial bidding and supplier relationships.  Prior to joining SAS, Rob spent over 10 years with Bond Aviation which later became part of Babcock plc in a range of positions but more recently supporting business expansion and strategy globally.

Rob Ferrari

Chief Financial Officer

James’s wealth of HR experience covering the Financial Services, Manufacturing, Automotive and Education sectors began in 2012 and he has added the Aviation Industry to his portfolio by joining SAS in July 2020. He holds a First Class Honours in Business Management with HRM and has over the past year become a fully qualified member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.  James is passionate about People and does all he can to support the team at SAS to deliver the highest levels of performance. James understands the connection between a highly motivated workforce, and service delivery excellence for SAS customers.  James bases his style around the company core values of kindness and fairness.

James Davies

Head of People

Amy joined SAS in January 2021, with responsibility for overseeing all Legal aspects for our company to enable us to work closely with our clients and suppliers and help to support our teams. She has previously worked in-house at Flybe, Dyson, Motorola and Computershare having qualified as a solicitor in 2011 following her training contract with Osborne Clarke. Her previous career was as a multi-national broadcast journalist working for TV and radio for the likes of ITV and the BBC.

Amy Newton

Legal Director

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