Agreed - they "could" change maintenance providers, but would they ?
In these times of budget cuts, I'm sure a number of ECUK's customers, including the Police, have already looked elsewhere.
Would another provider be able to offer the same level of service for less cost ? - I don't know but I would be surprised if they could.
There is also the question of all the new Police helicopters being delivered right now, which come with warranty - 2 years or "XX" hours etc. - I woudln't think it feasible to have such warranty maintenance provided by anyone other than the aircraft supplier.
As has been stated a number of times before, all parts would still have to be sourced via ECUK, who would no doubt add on their "Handling / Shipping / Insurance" charge, and there would also be the problem of some parts not being released if there is short stock, and they are needed for their own directly contracted customers, adding a delay in returning aircraft to service which may not be acceptable to the customer, even if the financial cost WAS less.
Anyway, for now, at least the Field Engineers seem happy enough
