Norwich-based Saxon Air is celebrating a major double success at the Aviation Industry Awards UK 2026, after being named Aviation Company of the Year and also taking home the Sustainability & Environmental Award.
The two awards recognise a landmark period for the company, which has expanded its aviation operations while continuing to invest in new technology, infrastructure, training and skills as part of its wider Responsible Aviation strategy.
Saxon Air was named Aviation Company of the Year from a shortlist that included Air Canada Cargo, MRO Pro and STS Engine Services. The award recognises the development of the business across its increasingly diverse range of aviation activities.
Operating from its headquarters at Norwich Airport and bases elsewhere across the UK, Saxon Air provides non-scheduled fixed-wing and helicopter charter, aircraft management and flight support. Through the wider Klyne Aviation Group, the business is also involved in flight training and aviation skills development.
The company has seen particularly significant growth in its helicopter operation. Earlier this year, Saxon Air became the UK’s largest rotary operator for onshore charter, representing a substantial expansion of both its rotary-wing activities and national footprint.
While operational growth has been a major part of the company’s development, Saxon Air has also been pursuing what it calls Responsible Aviation – an approach which seeks to combine business growth with investment in the technology, infrastructure and people needed to support aviation’s longer-term sustainability.
That work earned the company its second award of the evening.
Solar power meets electric flight
Saxon Air won the Sustainability & Environmental Award for its Solar Plane Port and SKYCHARGE project, beating projects submitted by major aviation organisations including Birmingham Airport, GKN Aerospace, International Airlines Group (IAG), Jet2 and i6 Group.
Completed in December 2025, SKYCHARGE represents the latest stage of Saxon Air’s investment in renewable energy and electric aviation infrastructure at Norwich Airport.
At the heart of the project is a 50 kWh Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), which allows electricity generated by Saxon Air’s solar infrastructure during daylight hours to be stored for use later.
The system is designed to make greater use of the company’s renewable generation while reducing its reliance on electricity from the grid. It also provides an important link between renewable energy generation and electric aviation.
Rather than requiring an electric aircraft to be charged directly from solar generation while the sun is shining, stored energy can be used later to charge Saxon Air’s Pipistrel Velis Electro.
That helps overcome some of the practical limitations of relying solely on direct solar generation, including daylight hours and weather conditions, while providing a more flexible charging solution.
The Velis Electro, the world’s first type-certified fully electric aircraft, is operated through Saxon Air’s Flight Training Centre and forms part of the company’s efforts to demonstrate how lower-emission technology can be incorporated into aviation operations and training.
For Saxon Air, the project is therefore about more than simply installing solar panels. It brings renewable generation, energy storage and electric aircraft together within an operating aviation environment.
Investment beyond the aircraft
The Solar Plane Port and SKYCHARGE project forms part of a broader programme of investment under Saxon Air’s Responsible Aviation strategy.
That programme encompasses renewable energy generation, electric aviation, lower-emission flight training and the development of the skills required by the aviation industry of the future.
The company says the intention is not to treat growth and sustainability as separate objectives, but to develop its aviation capabilities while investing in practical measures that can help reduce its environmental impact.
Alex Durand, CEO of Saxon Air, said: “Winning the Aviation Company of the Year and Aviation Sustainability & Environment Award at the Aviation Industry Awards UK 2026 for our Solar Plane Port and SKYCHARGE means such a lot to us. It validates our responsible aviation strategy, while also showing how much can be achieved by a small regional business with a targeted vision.”
The double award success comes at a time of considerable expansion for Saxon Air, with the company’s growing charter and helicopter operations sitting alongside its investment in electric flight, renewable energy and aviation training.
For a regional aviation business, the combination of those activities provides an example of how infrastructure and technology investment can be incorporated alongside commercial growth.
With its rotary operation expanding, its training activities developing and projects such as SKYCHARGE linking renewable energy with electric flight, Saxon Air’s latest awards recognise both the scale of its recent progress and the direction of its future development.