Leonardo at Verticon 2025 in Dallas

At Verticon 2025, a prime exhibition for the world’s rotorcraft industry and community, Leonardo announced further growth within the commercial helicopter market, with new orders for nearly 30 helicopters of various models to several operators across Europe, Americas, Africa and Asia-Pacific primarily for energy support, rescue and public service duties, VIP transport operations. Combined orders for the AW109 GrandNew, AW169, AW139, and AW189 types have a total value of approximately 370 million EUR, with deliveries between 2026 and 2028. These orders add to preliminary sales contracts for 15 AW09 next-generation single-engine helicopters for European and Southeast Asian customers. Moreover, Leonardo also announced the entry into new markets, particularly supporting the energy industry and rescue missions with the AW169 and AW189 and the latest simulation technologies for pilot training, including the VxR virtual and extended reality pilot simulator.

This year, the energy industry was the primary market focal point. With nearly 500 helicopters of various types in service today to perform offshore transport and an unrivaled level of deliveries by value over the last ten years—60% share in the previous five—Leonardo is the market leader for energy support.

Offshore operations require high aircraft availability rates, with many flight hours logged by the helicopters used for this task. Leveraging data gathering and analysis from the demanding offshore market and its intensive operations enables Leonardo to enhance further the overall service quality, product, and training capabilities of various models across all other applications. The energy support market is expected to steadily increase over the next five years, driven by new field developments (including wind farm support, harbor pilot shuttle, and dedicated offshore SAR assisting the energy sector), in compliance with new environmental regulations, and adopting more advanced technologies. Intermediate and super medium twin-weight categories – like the Leonardo AW139 and AW189, respectively – are ideally positioned to continue to lead this market for long-range operations, outperforming aging heavier and bigger types. Contracts and milestones announced at Verticon provide further evidence of this performance and of the market response. Gama Aviation ordered two AW139s in the UK. Three units were purchased by China General Aviation Company (CGAC) as the Chinese civil AW139 fleet continues to expand with the recent arrival of three aircraft for CITIC Offshore Helicopter Company (COHC). The AW139 remains a bestseller in its class for multiple applications, nearing 1500 orders for all applications by customers worldwide today since it entered the market in 2004.

Last year and in early 2025, the AW189 global fleet was expanded with new orders and deliveries, with Norway becoming one of the key regions. A contract signed by Norwegian operator Lufttransport at Verticon for two AW189s to deliver long-range/high-capacity missions in demanding conditions in the Norwegian continental shelf confirms this trend. The exhibition in Dallas also marked the first order for the new skidded variant of the AW169 helicopter in the energy market with a contract for five units by Petroleum Air Services (PAS) of Egypt. At the same time, Sabine Harbor Pilots announced the intention to leverage two in-service AW169s from HeliService USA to deliver Harbor Pilot Shuttle (HPS) services in Texas, the first of this kind for the type in North America.

he versatility and continued capability growth of the AW169 continue to be among the key factors of its market success for rescue duties. At Verticon, Leonardo announced the first civil order in Europe and the Emergency Medical Service sector globally for the latest variant featuring a combination of skid undercarriage and a 5.1t Increased Gross Weight (IGW). Gama Aviation signed this contract for three helicopters in the UK, which will benefit from up to 300kg of additional payload and better capabilities on unprepared terrains, thus allowing an even greater level of mission flexibility and effectiveness for life-saving duties.

Parkview Samaritan ordered an AW169 in the USA for their critical care transport program. The most successful EMS helicopter in Australia with around 50 units in service, the AW139 is set to play an even more crucial role with a new order for four more aircraft by LifeFlight and joint venture partner StarFlight to carry out emergency medical service, law enforcement, oil and gas operations and search and rescue response missions in Australia. In addition, North Slope Borough (NSB) of Alaska announced that two AW189s will deliver all-weather EMS and SAR across its expansive 95,000-square-mile service area, located entirely above the Arctic Circle.

The world leader in the multi-engine VIP/corporate market, Leonardo continues to expand its presence in this sector through its exclusive Agusta brand, with multiple orders announced by operators during the exhibition. Sloane of the UK will add five more AW109 GrandNew light twins, celebrating 30 years of partnership as Leonardo’s official distributor for the UK and Ireland. Aero Asahi signed for two AW169s, expanding the type’s presence in the Japanese passenger transport market.

In Japan, the distributorship agreement with Mitsui Bussan Aerospace is renewed as the Japanese partner also commits for eleven helicopters – in a mix of AW169, AW139 and AW189 – over the 2025- 2027 period.

Synerjet Latina SA, the official distributor of Leonardo civil helicopters for Colombia, Peru, Chile, and Paraguay, placed an order for two AW169s in utility configuration and was appointed an official distributor for the next-generation AW09 single-engine helicopter in the relevant markets. As the program development progresses, this new type continues to generate positive feedback from all geographies worldwide. The total number of preliminary sales contracts for the AW09 now is close to 130 units globally, with Helitech Asia and Kaan Air of Turkey announcing ten and five units, respectively, during the show.

In recent years we have continued to focus on a modern product mix featuring latest technologies, with constantly growing capabilities and meeting or exceeding the most rigorous certification and safety standards. We’ve maintained a strong commitment to sustainability, and bearing in mind the importance of the level of service to make sure our customers can get the most out of our value proposition, said Gian Piero Cutillo, MD Leonardo Helicopters. Going progressively digital also continues to be a key driver, truly 360°: on board, on maintenance, on training. The latest announcements at Verticon testify we’re on the right path to further increase our competitive advantage as we keep working towards a constant enhancement of our offer.

Leonardo AW09 next generation single engine helicopter’s market footprint continues to expand with further demand and distributors reinforcing their commitment with new preliminary sales orders as the program development makes progress.

Photos: Leonardo

Helitech Asia PTE LTD, based in Singapore, was appointed AW09 distributor in 2023 for Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, South Korea, and Vietnam—markets with robust interest in the AW09. Having initially committed to 10 preliminary sales contracts in 2023, Helitech has signed an additional 10 to meet rising customer demand, as the first 10 units have already been allocated to end users.

Kaan Air, a long-term Leonardo distributor for the AW119Kx, AW109 family, AW169, AW139, and AW189, has extended its Distributorship mandate to the AW09. Following this appointment, Kaan Air is adding five more preliminary sales contracts in response to growing interest from Turkish operators, bringing its total commitment to 10 units.

Meanwhile, Synerjet, an established Leonardo distributor for the AW119Kx, AW109 series and AW169 in Colombia, Peru, Chile, Ecuador, and Paraguay, has now been appointed as the official AW09 distributor for the same countries. Synerjet has already signed preliminary sales contract for five units in 2024.

We sincerely appreciate our partners’ continued commitment to the AW09, which is expanding its presence in global markets and establishing itself as the new benchmark in its category, said Paul de Jonge, SVP Commercial Market Development & Global Accounts at Leonardo Helicopters. These growing partnerships reflect our increasing competitiveness in the single-engine helicopter market.

As the AW09 program advances, the aircraft continues to generate strong interest from operators worldwide. Rotorcraft companies and private operators highly welcome the AW09 for its performance, versatility, and cuttingedge design – marking a significant evolution in the single-engine helicopter segment.

The AW09 perfectly complements Leonardo’s product range in the Long Light Single-segment, introducing an allnew design aircraft to sustain long-term competitive positioning in this weight category. Also, designed as a true digital helicopter and connected from day one, the AW09 will allow data transmission, gathering, and analysis for technical support, scheduled maintenance, and flight efficiency/safety capabilities with no equal in the singleengine market. The total number of preliminary sales for the AW09 is now nearly 130 units globally.

In recent months, several milestones have been achieved during the developmental activities such as completing engine icing tests in collaboration with Safran, progressing the bird strike compliance demonstration by successfully completing another shot in the second most critical location of the windshield, finalizing all fatigue tests for the main and tail rotor blades, and achieving the first engine start of the Tie Down Helicopter with the track and balance of the main and tail rotor blades. As the industrialization of the AW09 begins, the first serial aircraft (P6) has now entered the Final Assembly Line at Vergiate, Italy, marking another major milestone in the program development.

Leonardo’s presence in the China’s civil helicopter market grows further with new orders and deliveries for the bestselling AW139 intermediate twin engine supporting the energy industry. CITIC Offshore Helicopter Company Limited (COHC) took delivery of three more AW139 offshore helicopters between the end of 2024 and early 2025, bringing to 13 the total number of aircraft of this type in service with the operator. Founded in 1983 as the first professional helicopter operator in China, COHC became the first Chinese Main Board listed General Aviation company on Shenzhen Stock Exchange in 2000 and is still the only Publicly Traded General Aviation Company in China. COHC operates more than 80 helicopters for a wide range of missions covering Offshore Transport, HEMS and Utility roles. COHC is also the exclusive helicopter operator for China’s Polar Exploratory Missions. In addition, China General Aviation Company (CGAC), a leading player in the Chinese general aviation industry and one of the three major offshore Oil&Gas operators in the country, has recently signed for three AW139s plus one option, with deliveries to their base in Tianjin and Hainan Province expected in 2026.

These latest achievements confirm the leading role of Leonardo in the global energy industry market for helicopter operations, with a 60% share over the last five in terms of deliveries (value) worldwide, also extensively based on the AW139’s success for the task.

The significance of the AW139’s presence in China’s civil helicopter sector, with more than 50 units delivered to several operators over years for offshore transport, VIP transport, medical emergency response and public services, and market’s demand for a further development of the low-altitude industry has prompted Leonardo’s response with a further reinforcement of localized support to guarantee operators receive the level of technical service and training they deserve to maximize the capabilities of their helicopters, mission effectiveness and safety.

To do so, Shanghai Guojin Financial Leasing Co., Ltd. (Shanghai Guojin), a Chinese financial services company characterized by financial leasing and operational leasing, and Leonardo have signed a procurement agreement to install an AW139 Level D Full Flight Simulator (FFS) in the country in 2026. This will mark the first Leonardo’s helicopter simulator in China, developed in accordance with the OEM aircraft flying data for maximized fidelity and high-quality training, aligning with the national stringent aviation regulatory requirements, enhancing and accelerating the training ecosystem of the AW139 locally for existing and future demand, and new opportunities, as the fleet keeps growing. Leonardo is also exploring with COHC collaborative opportunities in the setup of local training capabilities.

Being the world’s most important helicopter programme since its certification in 2004 and the bestselling type in its category, the AW139 has logged orders for nearly 1500 units from more than 300 operators in over 90 countries to date for all missions. The AW139 delivers outstanding capabilities, technology and safety to meet stringent requirements from operators for tasks in harsh conditions to maximize effectiveness. The type features state-ofthe-art avionics with advanced navigation and collision avoidance systems to enhance situational awareness and reduce pilots’ workload, unmatched speed, power margins and overall performance, the widest cabin in its category featuring high modularity for rapid reconfiguration, a unique 60+ min run-dry capable main gear box for enhanced reliability and safety and up to 1000 certified kits.

More than 200 Leonardo civil helicopters of various types have been sold to Chinese operators to date for a range of both commercial and public services. Up to now, more than 120 helicopters of various types have been delivered for a range of both commercial and public services to serve Chinese customers, including AW139, AW119, AW109 and AW169 helicopters and more than 20 aircrafts including eight AW189s and 8 AW139s have been delivered to Chinese customers over the last three years.

Gama Group Limited and Leonardo announced a further reinforcement of their collaboration in delivering and maintaining advanced rotorcraft capabilities to UK with an order for five more helicopters for emergency medical service (EMS) and Energy support operations.

The contract includes three AW169 light intermediate twins with skid undercarriage and the 5.1t Increased Growth Weight (IGW) configuration for EMS and two AW139 intermediate twin engine helicopters for offshore transport missions. Deliveries are expected to be carried out during 2027 and 2028. The agreement supports Gama Aviation and Bond Helicopters roadmap towards a gradual modernization of the UK fleet as well as targeting strategic opportunities in the UK and Europe.

The parties have also defined an agreement that allows Gama Aviation to purchase additional AW169s and AW139s over the next five years in conjunction with a collaboration to further maximise the maintainability and mission effectiveness of the Gama Aviation and Bond Helicopters fleet.

This AW169 order marks the entrance of the 5.1t skidded variant of the type into Europe and the first in the global EMS market. These AW169s will be delivered in a baseline configuration for Gama Aviation to install their new in-house EMS interior and innovative patient loading system. Gama Aviation’s fleet includes seven AW169 EMS helicopters – making it the leading operator in UK – in addition to providing management and maintenance services to AW169 VIP clients.

The addition of three AW169s with the latest specialized configuration will deliver up to 300kg of additional payload as well as further enhancing operations to unprepared terrains, thus allowing an even greater level of mission versatility and capability for life-saving duties.

The new AW139s will add to a fleet of four units for Energy support, based in Norwich and in a joint venture with Bond Helicopters. An additional new AW139 will join the existing offshore fleet this Summer. With the order announced at Verticon, the AW139 continues to be the most successful model in its class in the region for offshore and other roles.

Marwan Khalek, Chief Executive Officer, Gama Aviation commented:

We are delighted to be placing this order with Leonardo for two AW139 and to be the global EMS launch customer for the evolved AW169, with an order of three helicopters. Strategically, the new aircraft are part of a fleet modernisation program that will see new assets delivered annually from 2025 to 2028 as we further align our capability with our clients’ requirements in the UK and Europe.

Gama Aviation founded in 1983 with the simple purpose of providing aviation services that equip its customers with decisive advantage, Gama Aviation Plc is a highly valued global partner to blue chip corporations, government agencies, healthcare trusts and private individuals.

The Group has three global divisions: Business Aviation (Aircraft Management, Charter, FBO & MRO), Special Mission (Air Ambulance & Rescue, National Security & Policing, Infrastructure & Survey, Energy & Offshore); and Technology & Outsourcing (Flight Operations, FBO, CAM software, Flight Planning, CAM & ARC services).

Bond Helicopters is a joint venture between Gama Group Ltd (50%) and Peter Bond (50%). Bond Helicopters, specifically focuses operations toward the Energy & Offshore market and is part of Gama Aviation’s Special Mission portfolio.

Leonardo and the North Slope Borough (NSB) of Alaska are proud to announce the entry of two new AW189 super medium helicopters. The advanced aircraft, specifically outfitted with specialized EMS interiors, are set to significantly elevate the capabilities of the North Slope Borough’s Search and Rescue (SAR) and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) across its expansive 95,000 square-mile service area, located entirely above the Arctic Circle. These state-of-the-art AW189 helicopters will replace the Borough’s current helicopter fleet and operate continuously, day and night, to perform essential missions. These missions include SAR operations to locate and assist distressed individuals, Emergency Medical Services that provide immediate medical care to those injured or critically ill, Inter-Facility Medical Transport to transfer patients between medical centers, and Emergency Supply Transport.

Leonardo Helicopters is honored to collaborate with the North Slope Borough in the enhancement of their critical life-saving capabilities, said Enrico Canal, Head of Macro Area Sales N&C America at Leonardo Helicopters. The AW189, distinguished by its advanced technology and robust design, is exceptionally equipped to operate in the demanding Arctic environment. Hence, it serves as a vital asset for the North Slope Borough in their lifesaving missions.

The AW189 helicopters, featuring advanced Full Icing Protection Systems (FIPS), are ideally designed to withstand the unforgiving Arctic climate. This capability guarantees safe and reliable operation in extreme conditions, including heavy ice and snow, even when winter temperatures plunge to a staggering -40 degrees Fahrenheit. Combining these sophisticated technologies and mission capabilities ensures that the NSB can provide timely and effective responses to emergencies in this remote and challenging environment, ultimately enhancing the safety and well-being of the communities it serves.

There is no doubt that operating and maintaining helicopters in the far north of Alaska has its challenges. When time is of the essence in responding to emergent situations, helicopters are a necessity, as they have served our people well since the North Slope’s inception, said Heather Dingman, Search and Rescue Director at North Slope Borough. The North Slope Borough’s leadership team is confident that the acquisition of two AW189 helicopters will improve current availability to the residents of the North Slope, and we are honored that Leonardo will be part of our story.

The additions reinforce Leonardo’s and the North Slope Borough’s unwavering commitment to the safety and well-being of its Alaskan residents and significantly strengthen the capabilities of its dedicated SAR team to serve remote communities in the challenging Arctic environment.

Over 140 AW189s have been ordered by operators worldwide to date, with 90 of them already in service. The type has been chosen and is in service performing long range, high-capacity rescue missions with many leading operators also in the North Sea and in the Mediterranean Sea as well as in Southeast Asia and the Far East. After around 10 years since its certification, the AW189 remains the world’s leader in the super-medium helicopter class by market size, number of operators, countries, and applications including search and rescue, emergency medical service, firefighting/disaster relief, offshore transport, law enforcement and passenger transport. The AW189 is growing its presence in existing customers’ fleets as well as being selected by all new operators, particularly in the public service and energy markets.

Leonardo and Petroleum Air Services (PAS) announced a further reinforcement of their collaboration to deliver effective and safe helicopter operations supporting the energy industry in Egypt. PAS signed to procure five AW169 light intermediate twin engine 4.8t helicopters with skid undercarriage. These aircraft are expected to be delivered starting in the third quarter of 2026 or earlier and will carry out offshore transport, crew change and emergency response missions from the eastern desert region.

This order, which marks the entrance of the skidded variant of the type into the energy market, is a strategic move for PAS and is part of its ongoing commitment to modernizing its current helicopter fleet with more advanced models that meet the International Association of Oil & Gas Producers requirements (IOGP), as the operator aims at expanding its offshore transport activities and exploration in the Eastern area of the Mediterranean Sea.

PAS will benefit from the outstanding characteristics of the latest generation AW169 helicopters in terms of navigation and mission avionics, cabin space, APU (Auxiliary Power Unit) mode – ensuring full functioning of critical onboard systems and devices when the rotors are stopped on ground allowing greater safety and lower emissions/noise. The AW169 is an essential enabler to perform more sustainable, more effective, safer energy support missions with high versatility and according to the latest industry standards in the market.

We are interested to partner with Leonardo to acquire the AW169 as part of our fleet modernization strategy, said Gen Ehab Abdelmaksoud, CH & MD of Petroleum Air Services. These advanced helicopters will not only replace older models but also enhance our ability to meet the rigorous demands of offshore operations, ensuring the highest level of safety for our clients.

In late 2024 PAS also became an Authorized Service Centre for Leonardo’s commercial helicopter products, obtaining an even higher rank in technical support allowing to add more services, greater spare parts management and more solutions to the benefit of third-party customers and users.

Petroleum Air Services is an Egyptian joint stock company. The shareholders are Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation and Bristow Group. The company provides air services transportation inside and outside Egypt using helicopter and fixed wing aircraft for the oil and gas sector, tourism and other economic entities. Also charter and scheduled flights, Air taxi, Maintenance & washing electric insulators by helicopter. The current fleet has 31 helicopters and 8 fixed wing aircraft. The company plans to expand its helicopter fleet in the near future to fulfil the demands of the current and new customers who obtained new concession rights in Egypt for offshore activities either in the Red Sea or Mediterranean. Petroleum Air Services is servicing the companies from different bases all around Egypt in Red Sea, Mediterranean and South Sinai. All service facilities in different bases have been upgraded to meet the highest safety international standards.

Synerjet Latina SA, official distributor of Leonardo civil helicopters for Colombia, Peru, Chile and Paraguay since 2023, is further expanding its collaboration with Leonardo with the purchase of two AW169 light-intermediate helicopters in utility configuration with deliveries in late 2027. Moreover, the company has been appointed an official distributor for the next-generation AW09 single helicopter in the relevant markets.

Since the start of collaboration with Leonardo, Synerjet had ordered 9 helicopter of various models and signed preliminary sales contracts for 5 AW09s. With these latest steps, Latin America continues to prove one of the most attractive markets for the AW169 helicopter as also the interest in the new AW09 keeps growing across the entire region.

Designed with the principle of maximum flexibility, the AW169 continues to provide all new capabilities to operators looking for an ideal combination of light helicopter cost with higher category performance, payload, and cabin space, all combined with comprehensive and ever-growing support and training services. Over 330 AW169s are on order today by operators in over 30 countries for the widest scope of applications including utility, VIP transport, EMS, energy, law enforcement, disaster relief, firefighting, electronic newsgathering and military duties.

The AW09 continues to generate a positive response from all geographies worldwide as the programme development progresses. Rotorcraft companies and private operators highly welcome the AW09 for its outstanding characteristics and multirole capabilities that represent a significant evolution compared to existing products in this category. The AW09 perfectly complements Leonardo’s product range in the Long Light Singlesegment, introducing an all-new design aircraft to sustain long-term competitive positioning in this weight category. Also, designed as a true digital helicopter and connected from day one, the AW09 will allow data transmission, gathering and analysis for technical support, scheduled maintenance and flight efficiency/safety capabilities with no equals on the single engine market. The total number of preliminary sales for the AW09 is nearly 130 units globally and keeps growing steadily.

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