2 April 2026
by Oli Smith – Head of Sales
People often talk about experience in aviation, but most organisations only ever see one part of the industry.
At Saxon Air, we see all of it — rotary and fixed wing operations, flight training, airworthiness management, offshore helicopter activity, aircraft management and charter — all operating from one facility, with one team. That breadth gives us a perspective that is very difficult to replicate, and it is one of the main reasons our experience as an organisation runs deeper than most.
One of the clearest examples of that is the fact we hold Air Operator Certificates for both rotary and fixed wing aircraft. Many companies choose one or the other, simply because running both requires a wider operational structure and a much deeper understanding of regulation, compliance and day-to-day flying. The environments are different, the rules are different, and the mindset needed to operate safely in each can be very different as well. For us, having both has never been about saying we can do more, it has always been about making sure we properly understand the types of flying our clients depend on.
Our facility is another big part of what makes us different. Because we operate from our own hangars and our own site, we are not limited to one type of activity. On any given day we can have business jets, helicopters, training aircraft and managed aircraft all operating from the same base. When everything happens in one place, the knowledge within the team naturally builds across different areas of aviation rather than staying in separate silos, and that makes a real difference to how we work.
That environment is one of the reasons offshore helicopter fleets use our facility as their departure point. We are not the operator of those aircraft, but supporting offshore activity still requires the right infrastructure, the right procedures and people who understand the demands of that type of flying. Offshore operations leave very little room for error, and having that level of activity on site raises the standard across everything else we do. Being trusted to host and support those fleets reflects the depth of experience within the organisation.
Alongside flying, we also run our own Continuing Airworthiness Management Organisation. That means we are involved in the ongoing oversight and management of aircraft as well as operating them. Seeing the technical, regulatory and operational sides together gives us a much more complete understanding of aviation than you get in a business that only ever looks at one part of the picture. Decisions are made with the full life cycle of the aircraft in mind, not just the next flight.
Training is another area where we have chosen to invest properly rather than do the minimum. Our flying school operates both a DA40 and the all-electric Velis, which makes us one of the more sustainable flying schools in the UK. The Velis is supported by a dedicated solar charging point on site, and the hangar itself is fitted with solar panels, meaning a significant part of the energy we use is generated on the roof above the aircraft. That is not something we added for marketing purposes, it reflects a longer-term view that aviation has to evolve, and that operators like us should be part of that change.
Running a flying school alongside commercial operations also keeps us close to the fundamentals of aviation. Training pilots every day reinforces the importance of discipline, standards and good decision making, and that culture carries through into the rest of the business. When you operate across as many areas as we do, those fundamentals become even more important.
When you put it all together — dual AOC, our own facility and hangars, offshore helicopter activity operating from site, CAMO, flight training, aircraft management and charter — you end up with a combination that is genuinely unusual in aviation. Most companies specialise in one area and build their experience there. We have always taken a different approach, and the result is a business that understands the industry as a whole, not just one part of it.
That is what makes Saxon Air different.
Not one service on its own, but the fact that all of them sit under the same roof, with the same people, every day.
Categories: Aviation, Careers and outreach, Charter, Flight Training, Team