Leonardo announced new orders at EBACE 2022, including three AW109 GrandNew light twins, one AW109 Trekker and two AW139 intermediate twin helicopters with deliveries in UK, Italy and Germany in 2022 and 2023.
Official distributor for UK & Ireland Sloane Helicopters ordered three AW109 GrandNew models with deliveries expected in the second half of 2023, adding to the three aircraft of the same model purchased in early March. Sloane Helicopters in 1995 became the sole distributor of Leonardo VIP/corporate helicopters in the UK and Ireland. Under this collaboration, more than 90 Leonardo commercial helicopters have been delivered to operators and private users in the UK and Ireland.
Jeremy Awenat, managing director of Sloane Helicopter, said “We are very proud to have been Leonardo’s UK and Ireland Distributor and Service Centre for the past 27 years, with a close partnership that is further strengthening. Sloane is focussed on delivering 12 new aircraft to our customers in the next 18 month period, consolidating Leonardo’s position as the leading helicopter manufacturer in the VIP/corporate market.”
This latest contract confirms the success of the AW109 series in the region as Leonardo and Sloane promote the recent launch of the new Agusta VIP brand in the region, also presented at Punchestown Festival in Ireland. The AW109 GrandNew success is evidenced by the introduction of a new aircraft into the Saxonair fleet under an agreement with Sloane and announced at EBACE, further strengthening its charter operations already carried out with GrandNew and AW119Kx aircraft.
Nearly 260 AW109 GrandNew light twins have been ordered in the global market out of a total of over 1700 AW109 series units sold in years for all missions. One AW109 Trekker in a VIP configuration has recently been sold to a private operator in Germany marking the introduction of this model in this country, with delivery planned at the end of this year.
The bestselling AW139 continues to expand its presence in the European VIP/corporate market. Two private operators, one in Germany and one in Italy, have placed orders for one AW139 each with deliveries expected by early 2023. The German order marks the entrance of the type in the national VIP/corporate market following the success of this model for other applications in Germany. The order in Italy grows the presence of the AW139 in the country also for this application adding to a fleet of more than 40 VIP twin engine helicopters of various models also including the AW109 series and the AW169, confirming Leonardo’s leadership in the Italian VIP/corporate multiengine market. Moreover, an AW139 has recently been delivered to Alan Allmann Associates in France, based at Issy les Moulineaux Heliport.
Leonardo opens new Paris helicopter service centre
Leonardo announced a further expansion of its helicopter customer support and training services in Europe with the establishment of a service centre headquartered at Paris-Le Bourget Airport. The new service centre began operations in mid-April and will act in coordination with Leonardo Belgium Logistics Hub, supporting the growing fleet of Leonardo commercial and public service helicopters in France and Central Europe.
The new service centre covers a 2000+ m2 indoor area, including maintenance and repair hangar and offices with the capability to serve the AW109 series, AW169 and AW139 types in Central Europe and will add the AW189 in the future. The service centre will provide support for the VIP/corporate helicopter fleet, which has proven increasingly successful in this part of Europe in recent years and keeps growing, adding more customer services under the new Agusta VIP brand with a dedicated area.
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