The Airtask Group

 

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Directflight Limited, trading as Airtask Group, were established in 1983 and specialise delivering bespoke flying tasks. They currently operate ten aircraft, ranging from a DA42 to the BAE 146-301 Atmospheric Research Aircraft.

 

The Company have fourteen staff at their Cranfield Airport headquarters, and employ a further forty three people based around the UK.

 

Depending upon the specific task,  Airtask fly their operations under either their Public Transport or Commercial Air Transport Air Operators Certificates. 

 

Airtask currently operate the following services:

 

• Atmospheric Research Aircraft. This is a BAE 146-301 aircraft owned by the National Environmental Research Council. It’s role is to explore the Meteorology, Chemistry and Physics of the atmosphere throughout the world. It is commissioned by world wide universities and governments. The aircraft is supported by three dedicated operations staff and flown at any one time by two of the four qualified pilots. The operation is supported by Avalon Aero Engineering Ltd.

 

• Marine Scotland. Airtask have operated two Reims F406 marine patrol aircraft on behalf of Marine Scotland since 2005. These aircraft patrol the Scottish fisheries areas both responding to intelligence and proactively seeking out foreign fishing vessels that are infringing fishing legislation. The crews, based at Inverness, are highly trained and in 2016 the FCO requested that they deploy to Diego Garcia in the Pacific Ocean to trial new fishery protection process there. The trial proved very successful and plans are being developed to deploy an aircraft there permanently.

 

• Marine Management Organisation and Border Force. Since 2005 Airtask have provided two further F406’s to support the English fishery industry and the Border Agency patrolling English waters. This contract recently reverted to a call off agreement that Airtask is still supporting.

 

• QinetiQ Range Clearance. The two Cranfield based F406’s also support the MOD with missile firing range clearance duties from Benbecula Island in the Hebrides. Airtask guarantee a certain amount of hours per year to ensure these extremely costly operations are not jeapordised by a lack of air cover.

 

• Shetland Island Council Inter Island Air Service. Airtask have run this service since 2006 using two nine seater BN2B Islander Aircraft. They are based at Tingwall Airport and the pilots fly schedule flights to Foula, Fair Isle, Out Skerries and Papa Stour. The base is managed by two ground staff, one permanent engineer and three pilots. The pilots are highly trained and licensed to use various remote airfields in the Scottish Islands. As with all of Airtask’s operations, safety is the main priority and the pilots regularly make crucial decision regarding the hostile weather conditions that exist in these environments. Notwithstanding weather cancellations, Airtask have provided an extremely reliable service with just four cancellations due to unscheduled engineering since 2015. This equates to four cancellations in well over 3000 flights. This excellent reliability is based on the whole team pulling together, from pilots looking after the aircraft, skilled engineering and good operational planning. As well as scheduled services, the Shetland Island aircraft are also available for charter flights outside the scheduled timetables.

 

• Hebridean Air Services. This service has been in existence for many years but Airtask only acquired the Company in 2016. In much the same way that the Shetland Island service works, the Hebridean service relies on one BN2B aircraft, a base manager, strong engineering support and two pilots. Again our pilots are qualified to fly to various small Scottish Islands and have provided an excellent service over many years.