Leonardo: Abu Dhabi Aviation expands the AW139 fleet for offshore transport with an additional 6 helicopters

(To Leonardo)
09/03/23

Leonardo today announced the signing of a contract for the purchase of six AW139 helicopters by the operator Abu Dhabi Aviation (ADA). The helicopters are expected to be delivered between 2024 and 2026 and will be used in offshore transport missions, further expanding ADA's AW139 fleet in support of the energy industry. These latest units will also allow ADA to comply with the latest standards of the Oil & Gas sector guidelines.

Gian Piero Cutillo, Managing Director of Leonardo Helicopters, said: “This contract further strengthens the collaboration between Leonardo and ADA, a partnership that has grown steadily over the years, both in terms of latest generation platforms and advanced customer assistance services. Furthermore, it confirms once again the AW139 as the reference helicopter in its category in the energy industry of the Middle East and worldwide”.

“Fleet strategy is very important for ADA's future projects. The purchase of these new AW139s will ensure ADA has state-of-the-art helicopters to support our continued growth in the industry,” said Abu Dhabi Aviation.

Leonardo and ADA have been collaborating for over 15 years. The operator has acquired a total of 33 helicopters to date, most of which are AW139s. In 2022, as further evidence of the solid collaboration and confidence in the growing capabilities of Leonardo's models, ADA has signed a contract for three AW139s, the first of which has already been delivered and the remaining two are expected to be delivered in the spring of this year. In recent years ADA has also introduced the AW169 into the fleet which has represented the best possible complement to the AW139 by exploiting the unique advantages of the AWFamily: same design philosophy and the latest certification and safety standards. ADA also recently reached the milestone of 10.000 flight hours with its fleet of Leonardo helicopters in the past year, and will approach a total of 100.000 hours by next summer.

ADA's fleet of Leonardo helicopters benefits from approximately 10 years of comprehensive localized support, maintenance and overhaul services and subsequently also training and simulation capabilities, thanks to the establishment of the joint venture AgustaWestland Aviation Services in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Abu Dhabi Aviation, founded in 1976, is the largest commercial operator of helicopters in the MENA region. It has a fleet of nearly 60 aircraft, including more than 50 helicopters and several aircraft. It operates aircraft for various institutions. It has won numerous international aviation awards. It achieved the milestone of more than 1.000.000 flight hours. ADA was the first certified rotary wing aircraft operator in the UAE since 1976. It is the leading operator and maintainer of helicopters in the MENA region, conducting onshore and offshore operations, EMS services, VIP transport and many other services of aviation in the UAE and around the world. ADA is also a Leonardo maintenance, repair and overhaul center.

Abu Dhabi Aviation has established its own dedicated simulation business unit to meet the training needs of customers in the UAE, Middle East and North Africa region. Middle Eastern customers will be able to use this facility for training as an alternative to using European facilities. In order to facilitate further expansion, Abu Dhabi Aviation has constructed a separate simulation building and will evolve into an international training center model. This will enable a different service model, use different pilots for different types of aircraft and help companies meet the needs of their customers. The most important helicopter program in the world since its certification in 2004 and the best-selling model in its category, the AW139 has to date registered orders for almost 1300 units, from more than 290 operators in over 80 countries, for all types of missions .

The global AW139 fleet has surpassed the 3,6 million flight hours logged to date. This model features state-of-the-art avionics with advanced navigation and anti-collision systems to increase operational awareness and reduce pilot workload. It is unrivaled in speed, power margins and overall performance and features the largest cab in its class with high modularity for rapid reconfiguration, plus the transmission's unique ability to continue operating smoothly for over 60 minutes even in the absence of lubricant for even greater reliability and safety. Over 1000 mission kits have been certified for the AW139 to date.