Story ID: 422
Leonardo Lands Substantial New Orders 
By: Mark Huber
Caption: The company announces 50 orders at Heli-Expo
Word Count: 268
Leonardo announced orders and commitments for 180 new helicopters on Tuesday at Heli-Expo.
The Helicopter Company (THC), owned by Saudia Arabia's Public Investment Fund, placed a firm order for 20 AW139 intermediate twins and inked a multi-year framework agreement for more than 130 Leonardo helicopters.
Air ambulance and helicopter services company Metro Aviation will take 30 AW09 singles in its role as distributor for the model in the U.S. and Canada. Metro also is supporting the AW09 by developing interiors and STCs for the aircraft and offering service and training for it. Metro operates a fleet of 170 helicopters and airplanes in 27 states and the District of Columbia.
Long-time Leonardo distributor for the UK and Ireland, Sloane Helicopters, has agreed to order nine AW09s, along with two AW109 Grand New and two AW109 Trekker light twin models. Sloane has delivered more than 110 Leonardo helicopters since 1995 and also represents the company’s Agusta VIP brand.
The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency has ordered four Leonardo AW189 super-medium twins through Galaxy Aerospace to meet its long-range search-and-rescue (SAR) mission requirement. The agency already operates three AW139 intermediate twins. The new helicopters will be delivered in 2025 and 2026. More than 140 AW189s have been ordered and 90 delivered worldwide.
LifeFlight Australia has committed to three more AW139s, in addition to orders for two others announced in late 2023 for its joint venture with StarFlight. These helicopters will boost LifeFlight’s AW139 fleet to 16 aircraft. Leonardo has delivered more than 130 helicopters to Australian customers and has an installed fleet of 60 AW139s there flying parapublic missions.