Further sales secured for AW139

AgustaWestland has sold four of its AW139 medium twin engined helicopters for transport and fire-fighting services in Europe and Asia.

The sales were announced by the company in two statements on 6 March.

The first announcement from the company and United Industries International said one AW139 was sold to the South Korean government for the Incheon fire fighting department, marking the eighth Korean purchase for the AW139.

Purchased through the Republic of Korea’s public procurement authority, the new aircraft is expected to enter service in 2012.

The capability requirements of the aircraft must meet the ‘stringent’ mission and safety requirements of the fire department, according to the statement.

Fire fighting will be the primary function of the aircraft, although it will also be used for emergency medical service, air rescue and transport missions in Incheon.

The AW139, chosen following an ‘extensive evaluation process’, will be delivered with specific capabilities suitable for the operation of the aircraft.

It will be fitted with: a bambi bucket or belly tank fire fighting system; a rescue hoist; four-axis DAFCS with hover mode; a ground proximity warning system; cabin configuration to transport 12 passengers; an emergency flotation system; a search light; a cargo hook; and an external loudspeaker.

In addition, OMNI Group in Portugal has signed a contract for three AW139s for offshore transport missions, with options for more.

Emilio Dalmasso, AgustaWestland’s senior vice president, commercial business unit, described the Omni Group as one of the world’s fastest growing providers of helicopter services.

The group contains 18 companies, and is a provider of helicopter services to the offshore energy market in Portugal and Brazil.
 
Meanwhile, AgustaWestland also announced on 6 March that London Air Services (LAS) of Vancouver has appointed an independent representative for the company for Canada.

LAS already operates the AW139, and a statement said that this appointment further strengthens the company’s position in North America.

According to the executive business travel service, LAS is proud to be the Canadian launch customer for the AW139, leading the industry with this state of the art helicopter. London Air's AW139 has multiple interior configurations, accommodating seven passengers in the VVIP configuration, or 12 to 15 passengers in the corporate executive interior.