Rescue helicopters relocated in airport costs row

Two search and rescue helicopters based in Kent have been relocated nearly 100 miles (161km) away to Hampshire following a row over airport fees.

HM Coastguard's operator Bristow said it relocated the aircraft after the "suspension of out-of-hours access and the introduction of significant cost increases" at Lydd Airport.

The airfield said its "core costs" were not covered, "clearly, that's unsustainable". It added that it was "continuing to engage constructively" with Bristow.

Response search and rescue services were operating as usual, according to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.

The two helicopters, which have been based at Lydd Airport since 2015, are now operating from Lee-on-the-Solent, near Portsmouth.

Operation of an unmanned drone has relocated to Dover, and two fixed-wing aircraft are now stationed in Southend-on-Sea in Essex.

Search and rescue teams from Lydd were called out more than 250 times in 2025.

Dover District Council leader Kevin Mills said the situation seemed "a bit illogical".

"Putting aside the migrant crisis we've got, we also got the busiest sea route and the major ports," he told the BBC.

"You'd have thought you'd want it based in this locality."

Bristow said it had "no option" but to relocate the services "to alternative, temporary operating sites in order to safeguard service continuity".

The move introduced "some operational adjustments", the company said. But its response times "remain within required standards" and public safety was not compromised.

Lydd Airport said it was engaging with operators, regulators and government departments "to support a safe, compliant and sustainable long-term solution" for search and rescue.

A spokesperson said discussions were focused on "putting these operations on safe and sustainable footing".

The UK Civil Aviation Authority said the move had occurred with its permission and it was "confident that Bristow's provision of helicopter search and rescue operations meets our safety requirements".

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