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Abu Dhabi Aviation Expands its AW139 Offshore Fleet with an Order for an Additional Six Helicopters

(Source: Leonardo; issued March 9, 2023)
Leonardo Helicopters has announced the sale of 20 AW139 helicopters since the beginning of the month, with the largest share going to civil operators in Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia. (Leonardo photo)

ROME --- Leonardo announced at Heli-Expo 2023 (Atlanta, 7-9 March) that Abu Dhabi Aviation (ADA) has signed a contract to procure six AW139 intermediate twin engine helicopters. The aircraft are expected to be delivered in the 2024-2026 timeframe and will be used to perform offshore transport missions further expanding ADA’s AW139 fleet primarily supporting the energy industry. These latest aircraft will also allow ADA to achieve compliance with the latest OGP guidelines.

Gian Piero Cutillo, MD Leonardo Helicopters, said: “This contract further strengthens the partnership between Leonardo and ADA, which has constantly grown over the years both in terms of latest generation platform supply and advanced customer support services. It further confirms the AW139’s presence in the Middle East and in the world’s energy industry market as the benchmark helicopter in its category”.

“Fleet strategy is very important to ADA as we plan for the future. This purchase of additional AW139s will ensure ADA has a state-of-the-art capable aircraft to support our continued growth in the industry”, said Abu Dhabi Aviation.

Leonardo and ADA have been collaborating for over 15 years with the operator acquiring a total of 33 aircraft to date, most of which are AW139s. In 2022, ADA signed for three AW139s with the first aircraft already delivered and two are expected to be handed over in spring this year, providing further evidence of the solid collaboration with Leonardo and ADA’s confidence in the types’ growing capabilities. The addition of the AW169 light intermediate twin engine type in recent years represented the best possible complement to the AW139 leveraging the unique AWFamily advantages with a similar design philosophy and latest certification and safety standards. Recently, ADA set a 10,000 flight hour milestone with its Leonardo helicopter fleet over the last year as they near a total of 100,000 flight hours by next summer.

The ADA’s fleet of Leonardo helicopters was extended to comprehensive localised support, maintenance and overhaul services in United Arab Emirates (UAE) around ten years ago with the establishment of the AgustaWestland Aviation Services Joint Venture and subsequently training and simulation capabilities.

Abu Dhabi Aviation is a national shareholding company and the largest commercial helicopter operator in MENA region, established in 1976. The company owns a fleet of nearly 60 aircrafts, including more than 50 helicopters and several fixed-wing aircrafts. ADA also operates aircrafts for various entities. ADA has won multiple international aviation awards. It has completed more than 1,000,000 safe flying hours. ADA was the very first rotary wing AOC in the UAE established in 1976. ADA is the leading helicopter operator & maintainer in the MENA region conducting oil & gas on shore, off shore operations as well as HEMS, VIP transport & many other aviation services in the UAE & also World Wide. ADA is also a capable Leonardo MRO with both base, line & shop capability.

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THC to Expand AW139 Helicopter Fleet to Boost SAR Services, EMS and Corporate Transport in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

ROME--- The Helicopter Company (THC) will further expand its fleet of Leonardo AW139 intermediate twin engine helicopters to reinforce search and rescue (SAR), Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and Corporate transport in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. At Heli-Expo 2023 (7-9 March) in Atlanta, Georgia, the Company announced its willingness to engage negotiations to procure additional six units to the existing fleet plus 20 options. By the time all these latest AW139s are delivered, THC will have a total fleet of 49 AW139s carrying out a range of missions including emergency medical service, search and rescue and corporate transport in the country.

Gian Piero Cutillo, MD Leonardo Helicopters, said “We’re pleased with the level of confidence shown by a leading operator like THC in our technology and mission capabilities by this latest announcement of fleet expansion plan. The AW139 is supporting their service capability growth programme for key missions, including SAR, EMS and Corporate transport and we’re proud to play our role for the communities they will serve.”

The world’s most important helicopter programme since its certification in 2004 and the bestselling type in its category, the AW139 has logged orders for nearly 1300 units from more than 290 customers in over 80 countries to date. The fleet of more than 1130 units in service has logged in excess of 3.6 million flight hours to date. The type has proven extremely successful in the Middle East with over 170 units sold across the region for the widest scope of missions including corporate transport, emergency medical service, search and rescue, law enforcement, offshore transport, government duties. The AW139 delivers outstanding capabilities, technology and safety to meet stringent requirements from operators for tasks in harsh conditions to maximize effectiveness. The type features state-of-the-art avionics with advanced navigation and collision avoidance systems to enhance situational awareness and reduce pilots’ workload, unmatched speed, power margins and overall performance, the widest cabin in its category featuring high modularity for rapid reconfiguration, a unique 60+ min run-dry capable main gear box for enhanced reliability and safety and up to 1000 certified kits.

About THC
The Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) established THC as part of its strategy to activate new sectors that meet the growing demands for commercial helicopters in Saudi Arabia.THC also supports the realization of Vision 2030 and generates long-term commercial returns. THC is the Kingdom’s first and only commercial helicopter operator and has been operating since mid-2019.

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