Leonardo announced on November 5, 2024, that it had closed a deal with helicopter leasing company GDHF for 10 AW189s super medium-sized helicopters.
The 10 helicopters will be delivered between 2027 and 2029 and allocated to users in the energy industry, including offshore wind farm servicing and search and rescue (SAR) connected with these activities.
GDHF has been an AW189 operator since early 2024, when it received the first helicopter of this type. The most recent purchase is in addition to an earlier one and brings the lessor’s AW189 order to 13 aircraft.
The AW189 is a 8.3-8.6-ton helicopter capable of carrying up to 14 passengers (plus two crew members) over distances of around 500 nautical miles (around 1,000km)
It has some features that make it a particularly interesting choice for offshore operations, such as the capability of the main transmission to run without oil for 50 minutes and the presence of a built-in auxiliary power unit.
The deal was announced during the European Rotors trade show, the helicopter industry’s largest event in Europe, which takes place in Amsterdam from November 4 to 7, 2024.