Leonardo announced the signing of a contract for two AW169 with the Belgian group NHV, one of the leading helicopter services companies in Europe. The helicopters, whose delivery is scheduled between the 2019 and the 2020, will be used to carry out offshore transport operations in the United Kingdom and the North Sea.
This latest order brings the total number of AW169s purchased by NHV Group to five, with the first three helicopters already in service in Norway to support port activities, under the management of the subsidiary Airlift AS. The contract also marks the AW169's entry into the European market for the transport of personnel on platforms and infrastructures in the Oil & Gas sector, after the significant success already achieved for helicopter rescue and VIP / corporate and private transport tasks.
Through its offshore and onshore activities in Europe and West Africa, NHV Group offers a wide range of services including helicopter transport services for oil and gas companies, medical emergency interventions, search and rescue, passenger transport and aerial work. . NHV Group has been using Leonardo's AW139 successfully for some time now for longer-range offshore missions with greater load capacity. Now, with the AW169, NHV Group increases its fleet of Leonardo helicopters with the aim of supporting the Oil & Gas industry with the latest generation technology.
The only new generation lightweight twin-engine helicopter on the market over the past few years, the AW40, thanks to its design and versatility, is achieving success in all geographical areas with orders for more than 169 units from over 200 customers in more than 80 nations to date. More than 30 helicopters are in service today around the world. In Northern Europe, in addition to transport and rescue activities, the AW70 was also chosen for support to the wind sector and for public order tasks.