The AW139 will be the new helicopter to transport the President of the Republic of Colombia. Featuring a special VVIP configuration, the helicopter will be delivered in spring this year and will be deployed by the country's Air Force.
With the supply of this helicopter the Colombian Air Force will become the first military customer in the country, while the AW139 fleet in Colombia is growing, where this model has already achieved success for civil transport operations in support of the Oil & Gas industry, with five helicopters entered in service with leading operator Helistar SAS The Presidential AW139 will be equipped, among other features, with an eight-seat configuration in the most spacious cabin in its class, the highest safety standards as well as including a self-protection suite, generally provided for in helicopters used for the transport of Heads of State or Government.
The choice of the AW139 VVIP in Colombia confirms Leonardo's leadership role in the world market of twin-engine VIP helicopters, in which it holds a 40% share, and also increases the success of the model throughout Latin America for a wide range of applications including VIP and offshore transportation, security and utilities. A very successful model in the military market all over the world thanks to exceptional performance at altitude and in the presence of high temperatures, load capacity, versatility, state of the art technology and with a modern approach to maintenance, the AW139 has often been chosen to replace the obsolete UH-1. The AW139M military variant is also proposed by Leonardo to meet the multirole requirements of the Colombian Air Force, Army, Police and Navy. With more than 400 civil and military helicopters in service in Latin America currently, Leonardo is one of the major players on the reference market in the entire region.
The AW139 sets new standards for technology, performance, reliability, safety, flexibility and cabin space. Its modern avionics reduces crew workload allowing the pilot to focus on the mission. Orders for nearly 1200 units in more than 70 countries have been placed by more than 280 customers worldwide and around 1100 helicopters are currently in service with more than 2,9 million flight hours accumulating in operation, confirming the model as the best-selling helicopter in its category. The AW139 has also proven to be a highly successful product for VVIP and governmental transport tasks around the world thanks to unmatched reliability, safety, comfort, level of customization and versatility.
