Story ID: 
Leonardo Adds To March Bookings
By: Mark Huber
Caption: Leonardo booked orders for 23 helicopters worth $281 million in March.
Word Count: 213
Leonardo booked orders for 23 helicopters worth $281 million in March. Orders include 15 AW139 intermediate twins, three AW169s light-intermediate, three AW109 GrandNew light twins, one AW119Kx single-engine, and one AW189 super-medium twin. Deliveries are scheduled for this year and next. 

Orders include the three GrandNews light twins for Leonardo’s longtime distributor in the UK and Ireland, Sloane Helicopters; an AW169 in VIP configuration for Brazil’s Comexport; one AW139 for Turkish distributor Kaan Air; four VIP AW139s for three undisclosed operators in the U.S; one AW139 for Mexico’s Pegaso for offshore transport and search and rescue; and two AW169s for Germany’s HeliService for use on a wind farm program in Taiwan. These orders join those previously announced earlier in March at HAI Heli-Expo for four AW609s from a European operator and 16 AW139s from The Helicopter Company in Saudi Arabia. 

Leonardo also announced the entry into service of two AW109 Trekkers by Italy’s Elilombarda for use in the offshore energy sector, two more Trekkers flying EMS missions for Greece’s National Center for Emergency Care, and the use of AW139s for shuttle service by Japan’s Toho Air linking the Izu islands in Tokyo beginning later this year.