Bell 429 Fleet Tops 325

The global fleet of Bell's 429 light twin helicopters has reached 325 units and amassed more than 330,000 flight hours, the company announced.

The aircraft has been selected by customers in 42 countries, including Australia, France, Indonesia, Kuwait, Oman, Switzerland, Slovakia, Sweden, Turkey, Thailand, the U.S., and the UK. Recent deliveries include two more to the Swedish Police, bringing the fleet to nine; one more for the Indonesian police, growing its fleet to three; two more for an unspecified Asia-Pacific government agency; two to corporate customers in Germany and Bangladesh, and a delivery in Poland. 

“We continue to see a steady flow of orders particularly in law enforcement for fleet growth. We also have a steadily growing corporate customer base,” said Patrick Moulay, Bell international commercial business senior vice president.

When the 429 was certified in 2009, Bell said it held 301 letters of intent for the 429 and that the customer mix included orders for 71 from air-medical operations, 49 for utility/offshore, and 17 for law enforcement.