Leonardo Helicopters signed a deal yesterday to deliver 15 EMS-configured AW139s between 2019 and 2021 to the Sino-U.S. Intercontinental Investment Company of China. The agreement was announced during the China International Import Expo in Shanghai and is part of a wider delivery plan to provide 160 Leonardo helicopters across various models to Sino-U.S. between next year and 2023.
The AW139s will be operated by Kingwing General Aviation, and the order builds on existing contracts from Sino-U.S. in recent years for a variety of EMS-configured Leonardo helicopters including 34 AW119Kx singles, 25 AW109 Trekker light twins, and 24 AW139 medium twins. Leonardo claims sales of 185 helicopters to Chinese commercial and public customers and a 70 percent share of the EMS market there.
Leonardo CEO Alessandro Profumo said the deal reinforces the company’s “leading position in China,” which he characterized as a “fast-growing and highly competitive market.” Sino-U.S. is the exclusive distributor of Leonardo helicopters in China and the company affirmed its intention to establish a Leonardo-authorized training academy and completions center in China.