New orders from all over the world for Italian helicopters. Leonardo announced the sale of 23 aircraft, of different models, in Europe, America and Asia. Overall, the new contracts reach a value of approximately 256 million euros, with deliveries expected between 2022 and 2023. The Piazza Monte Grappa company, fresh from the helicopter show Heli-Expo 2022 in Dallas, has also confirmed the activation of new services around the world, made possible by the delivery between 2021 and 2022 of the helicopters produced by the Italian group. The successes of the AW139
Sales champion and the AW139, with 15 new requests. Helicopter for commercial transport and search and rescue, over a thousand are already in service on all continents. In Turkey, where thirty Italian helicopters of various types already fly, from VIP transport to helicopter rescue, Kaan Air has signed a contract for a further unit of the model. Four AW139s in VIP mode were ordered by three different private users in the United States. In addition, the helicopter will provide connection services between the six major islands of Izu, in the Tokyo area, operated by the company Toho Air Service. This will be the first passenger service for the aircraft in Japan, where the model is already present with seventy units. Finally, in MexicoThe VIP market
On the VIP / corporate market, UK and Irish operator Sloane Helicopters has ordered three AW109 GrandNew light twin-engine helicopters. “We are delighted and honored to continue our collaboration with Leonardo – declared Sloane representatives – as Leonardo’s sole distributor for almost 27 years, we can boast an extraordinary knowledge of end-user requirements”. Through the collaboration with the British group, in fact, Leonardo has delivered 91 commercial helicopters to various private operators in the two countries, confirming the Italian company as the largest manufacturer of VIP / corporate helicopters in Great Britain. Growth in this sector is also recorded in Italy, with the operator Hoverfly which received the first AW109 Trekker destined for Italy in 2021, and in Brazil, where Comexport has ordered an AW169 in VIP configuration which is added to the seven already present in the South American country. Among other things, Leonardo boasts a 45% VIP market share in the last ten years, and the company has in fact launched its new “Augusta” brand, dedicated to the sector.
In addition, the AW169 has achieved several successes in the support business of offshore operations . In the North Sea, several operators have chosen the Italian helicopter to reach their offshore installations. Among the new contracts is the purchase of two units by the German HeliService international GmbH, active all over the world. The new AW169s will be used in Taiwan to support the construction of wind turbines off the coast of the island. Henk Schaeken, managing director of HeliServices, said: “We owe much of our success to the versatility and capabilities of the AW169, and the increased performance introduced by the recently certified capacity increase for the aircraft made it the ideal choice for the project. of Taiwan “.
