THC (The Helicopter Company) and Leonardo further strengthen their collaboration in the civil helicopter sector with the introduction of an additional 16 AW139 twin-engine aircraft for helicopter rescue and corporate transport tasks in Saudi Arabia. Deliveries will be launched this year and completed over the next three years. These helicopters join the existing THC fleet of seven units already, with the possibility of introducing a further six in the future.
Gian Piero Cutillo, MD Leonardo Helicopters, said: “We are delighted to further strengthen this extraordinary partnership built over the years with THC and to contribute to the growth of the excellent quality of the services they offer with additional AW139s. We are ready to support our partner to carry out passenger transport and helicopter rescue missions in their country in an increasingly effective and safe way ".
“We are happy to significantly expand our Leonardo helicopter fleet with this order. The AW139 is certainly one of the most reliable helicopters in the industry and the best transport helicopter in this category. We are also pleased to strengthen our historic partnership with Leonardo to develop new capabilities and services in the entire helicopter sector of Saudi Arabia ”said Commander Arnaud Martinez, Chief Executive Officer of The Helicopter Company.
The AW139 is the largest helicopter program in the world since its certification in 2004 and the most successful model in its class with orders to date for over 1200 units from more than 290 operators in over 70 countries. This model has been very successful in the Middle East with more than 170 helicopters sold in the region for a wide range of applications including corporate transport, helicopter rescue, search and rescue, law and order, offshore transport, government tasks. The AW139 offers extraordinary capability, technology and safety to meet the most stringent requirements of operators to maximize mission effectiveness in harsh conditions. The AW139 features state-of-the-art avionics with advanced navigation and collision avoidance systems to increase awareness of operating conditions and reduce crew workload, as well as unmatched speed, power margins and overall performance, the cabin plus broad in its class with high modularity and rapid reconfiguration, a unique capacity of transmission operation in the absence of oil in excess of 60 minutes to increase reliability and safety, and more than 1000 kits available.
Note to editors on THC
Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) established THC as part of its strategy to activate new sectors to meet the growing demand for commercial helicopters in Saudi Arabia. THC also supports the implementation of the Vision 2030 and generates long-term commercial returns. THC is Saudi Arabia's first and only commercial helicopter operator and has been operating since mid-2019.
For more information: www.thehelicoptercompany.com.sa