AgustaWestland Lands AW119Kx Sale to Private Operator in China

AgustaWestland and its Chinese distributor, Sino-US Intercontinental, announced the sale of an AW119Kx single to a private operator in China today at Airshow China 2014 in Zhuhai. The helicopter will be delivered by year-end and used for passenger transport operations in the Asian country.

Sino-US Intercontinental was tapped as an “official non-exclusive distributor” for AgustaWestland civil helicopters in China, excluding Hong Kong and Macau, last year. It subsequently placed orders for 20 AgustaWestland helicopters last September, including the AW119Ke single, AW109 GrandNew light twin, AW169 light intermediate, AW139 intermediate and AW189 super medium. In addition, the companies are working together to strengthen AgustaWestland’s aftermarket support in China with "comprehensive" maintenance and training solutions.

Meanwhile, AgustaWestland appointed Shanghai-based Kingwing General Aviation Co. as an authorized service center in China for the AW139 today at Airshow China. The type will be supported with maintenance services supplied through Kingwing's three bases–in Shanghai Gaodong, Xiamen and Fuzhou Zhuqi. Kingwing has 50 licensed aircraft technicians on staff and also operates 14 helicopters.

To further strengthen its presence in the country, AgustaWestland opened a regional business headquarters in Shanghai earlier this year.