The UK Home Office will double its fleet of Dash 8 turboprops in maritime surveillance configuration to tighten the monitoring of small boats carrying irregular migrants across the English Channel. Like the first, the second aircraft will be operated by PAL Aerospace (SPR, St. John's), the Sunday Telegraph reported.

The second aircraft is expected to enter service in spring 2025. By doubling the fleet, the Home Office Small Boat Command will be able to provide round-the-clock monitoring for around 200 days when the weather is good enough to permit small boat crossings. The aircraft will be deployed with other government agencies for monitoring tasks whenever crossings are not possible.

The current fleet of the Small Boat Command comprises a single DHC-8-Q300(MPA) operated by PAL Aerospace. C-GFMX (msn 410) has operated in the UK since July 2023 under an initial 18-month contract. It is based out of Lydd. While the single aircraft has successfully tracked the channel crossings, it is not sufficient to provide 24-hour monitoring due to operational limitations.

The expanded contract will cost the UK Home Office GBP34 million pounds (USD43.2 million).

PAL Aerospace did not respond to ch-aviation's question about the details of the expanded contract. The Canadian company does not operate any other DHC-8-300(MPA)s but has five DHC-8-100(MPA)s in its fleet. Four are currently deployed with the Dutch government, operating in the Netherlands for Kustwacht (two) and in the Dutch Caribbean for the Kustwacht Caribisch Gebied (two). The fifth unit is operating for Canada's Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry.

PAL Aerospace is the parent of regional carrier PAL Airlines (Canada).