Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc. (NYSE:TXT) company, announced today the signature of a Letter of Intent (LOI) with Horizon International Flight Academy to become the first Bell Helicopter authorized training center in the Middle East.

Based at Al Ain International Airport and purpose-built for flight training, Horizon International Flight Academy sets the benchmark for pilot training in the Middle East, delivering unequalled flight training.

“We are looking forward to becoming a member of the Bell Helicopter authorized training network,“ said Hareb Thani Al Dhaheri, CEO, Horizon International Flight Academy. “Since our inception in 2003, our goal has been to provide training solutions that meet international standards in a safe and secure environment. With the increasing demand in the region for pilots, we are at the forefront of meeting this requirement for both the Military and Civil sectors. ”

Our commercial helicopter sales have tripled since last year in the Middle East,” Ray Lamas, General Manager, Global Customer Training, Bell Helicopter. “We are thrilled that Horizon International Flight Academy has expressed interest in becoming a Bell Approved Authorized Training Center for both single and twin engine Bell Helicopters. We have been planning to expand our training footprint in the region to cater to the growing presence of Bell Helicopter and to better serve our customers, and Horizon’s reputation for their training capabilities is second to none.”

Bell Helicopter provides its customers with local support in every corner of the world and has the largest support network in the industry with over one hundred Authorized Customer Service Facilities in thirty four countries. Ranked number one by customers for 21 consecutive years in the Helicopter Product Support Survey from Professional Pilot Magazine, Bell Helicopter has also earned top honors in Vertical Magazine’s first-ever comprehensive helicopter manufacturer’s survey. Bell Helicopter is committed to having resources where customers operate to speed up delivery of service and support, and give customers access to service professionals who are easy to reach, know the operating environment and understand their needs.

About Horizon International Flight Academy

Headquartered in Al Ain, Horizon is the Middle East’s leading flight training organization. It is part of the Emirates Defence Industries Company, an integrated defence manufacturing and services platform. Training at Horizon is approved by the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority.

The company offers standard and bespoke training solutions to commercial and military customers across the South Asia, Middle East and North Africa region, with over 900 pilots graduated to date.  Offering state-of-the-art facilities and a multi-national team of experienced instructors, Horizon’s training programs are delivered with the highest standards of safety, quality and efficiency.

About Bell Helicopter

Bell Helicopter, a wholly owned subsidiary of Textron Inc., is an industry-leading producer of commercial and military, manned and unmanned vertical-lift aircraft and the pioneer of the revolutionary tiltrotor aircraft. Globally recognized for world-class customer service, innovation and superior quality, Bell’s global workforce serves customers flying Bell aircraft in more than 120 countries.

About Textron Inc.

Textron Inc. is a multi-industry company that leverages its global network of aircraft, defense, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron is known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell Helicopter, Cessna, Beechcraft, Hawker, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Greenlee, Textron Systems, and TRU Simulation + Training. For more information visit: www.textron.com.