During the opening of Dubai Expo 2020, Leonardo has announced the launch of a new initiative to reinforce its leading position in the world’s VIP/corporate helicopter market, as it pioneers new advanced and sustainable air mobility solutions in the vertical flight domain. Agusta became the brand that embodies the company’s distinctive design, technology and service philosophy and values in the executive transport rotorcraft sphere.
The announcement took place at the grand opening of the new rotorcraft terminal by Leonardo and Falcon Aviation Services in Dubai, purposely designated Casa Agusta. The terminal will facilitate the mobility to and from the Expo 2020 site in Dubai. An AW609 TiltRotor and an AW609 full scale VIP/corporate cabin mock-up will be on static display close to Casa Agusta for a limited period. The first appearance of the AW609 TiltRotor in the Middle East with its official presentation in Dubai marks the global commercial launch of the revolutionary multirole aircraft as it gets closer to its civil certification. 
Leonardo is currently developing configurations for different uses of the AW609 tiltrotor. The unique performance, particularly speed, range, agility and flexibility are ideal in passenger transport missions, offshore transport in support of the energy supply industry, patrol and surveillance, search and rescue, medical transport, disaster relief and other government and military tasks. Where a helicopter cannot remain for extended periods at high altitudes or high speeds, the tiltrotor provides better performance in terms of altitude. It can cover greater distances in a unit of time while retaining the ability to take-off and land vertically. For passenger transport (up to nine plus pilot and co-pilot), the AW609 can connect the centre of two cities heralding a real revolution in point-to-point connections in a context of innovative inter-urban mobility. In addition, it makes it possible to reach remote areas and localities that today do not have efficient or constant connections, such as the most isolated small islands. The AW609 is the perfect vehicle to support and supplement search and rescue (SAR) operations, maritime patrols and other public utility tasks to extend area coverage in migration control missions and to counter illegal trafficking. The AW609 covers distances that are currently not possible by helicopter while retaining the helicopter's ability to help shipwreck survivors. In SAR operations, the AW609 can locate and recover shipwrecks at distances of almost 500 km from the coast much faster. At present, these missions involve both aircraft and helicopters. In some cases, using a single vehicle would offer clear cost savings and greater operational flexibility and a significant reduction in time and, consequently, a higher probability of mission success. In medical rescue, the pressurised cabin and reduced vibrations in forward flight make it easier to stabilise the patient before arrival at the hospital. 
The AW609 programme development has recently performed further steps towards US FAA certification, after which deliveries to customers will begin. The prototypes used in development activities have clocked over 1,700 flight hours to date. The final assembly line is based at Leonardo's US plant in Philadelphia, where manufacturing of the production models has already started and a new building will be dedicated to mass production. Furthermore, the new Training Academy based in Philadelphia already features a comprehensive range of training services for pilots and maintenance technicians of the AW609 including the world’s first Full Flight Simulator of the type.