Leonardo is building up its order book for the single-turbine AW09 light helicopter through a new distributorship agreement with Universal Vulkaan Aviation in India that accompanies orders for five, as well as recent partnerships with Léman Aviation and Sloane that came with orders for 19. In all, orders for the AW09 have topped 100.
In addition, Blueberry Aviation is in the final throes of an agreement to become AW09 distributor for Central and Southern Europe. The two companies are finalizing the terms of this partnership which will cover key European markets including Switzerland, Germany, Denmark, Benelux, Spain, Portugal, and Monaco.
But importantly, Stefano Villanti, senior v-p of marketing and sales at Leonardo Helicopters, the filling out of its distributorships will help enhance trust in the model, the first clean sheet design in its class in decades.
Announcing the distributorships during EBACE on Wednesday, Villanti said Leonardo is starting its journey for the commercialization of the helicopter. “The AW09 will allow Leonardo to enter a very crowded market segment where other competitors are doing very well. And now we want to have our role in it,” he said. “We have a lot of challenges in front of us. We need to gain the trust of new customers that perhaps know Leonardo but for other types of platforms.”
To meet this challenge, Leonardo needs to leverage its network of distributors, Villanti said Representing India, Universal Vulkaan Aviation signed preliminary sales contracts for five AW09s. In addition, the company signed a contract for one AW109 GrandNew, one AW169, and one AW139 with deliveries expected between 2025 and 2026. The contract is part of a framework agreement Leonardo has for up to 10 of the latter three models.
With offices in Switzerland, France, and Monaco, Léman Aviation ordered 10 AW09s in late 2023, expanding the market for the aircraft in Europe. The company has already sold the first one in France to an undisclosed customer. Léman is seeing interest from VIP and corporate owners, and the company said the large cabin that can seat eight passengers is “massive” for potential commercial operators.
“There really isn't anything new in the single-engine market. This is a lot because this helicopter is from a 2020 generation,” Nicolas Niras, co-founder, said. “Basically, most of the single-engine helicopters have been designed and certified late seventies, so there is a gap there.” Leonardo is bringing a bigger cabin and a more efficient aircraft and “this is absolutely valuable.”
Meanwhile, Sloane is representing the helicopter in the UK and Ireland, expanding its relationship with Leonardo that dates back to 1995. Sloane signed a contract in February for nine of the light singles. Company director George George said the company has been watching the progress of the AW09 for years but did not seek out the distributorship until Leonardo acquired the program so it was not representing another manufacturer. Sloane plans to hold a kickoff event for the AW09 at London Heliport (formerly Battersea) on July 19.
“There has been a long time coming in development, but the market is still very excited because fundamentally it's an entirely clean sheet, modern composite design, and this is unheard of in singles,” George said. He also referred to the cabin, saying it could fit an entire family with “huge amounts of suitcases. It’s a flying minivan, but very luxurious. It’s very capable. So we think there'll be lots of interest.”
As for Blueberry, the companies are working on the terms of the partnership that would have it cover markets including in Switzerland, Germany, Denmark, Benelux, Spain, Portugal, and Monaco.