Associated Aircraft Group (AAG), a subsidiary of Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., has announced the addition of the Total Eclipse Twin-Engine Jet to its fleet of Sikorsky S-76^®executive helicopters. The jet service provides AAG customers additional options to meet their travel needs, while expanding the company’s service area. Sikorsky Aircraft is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX).

“The Eclipse Jet is a natural expansion of the services we currently provide with our Sikorsky S-76 helicopter fleet. The speed and efficiency of the Eclipse will enable us to greatly expand our service offerings to connect metro New York with New England, the Mid Atlantic, the Mid West and beyond, at a price point unmatched by older, less efficient aircraft,” said AAG President Scott Ashton in making the announcement. “The Eclipse light jet also matches the largest segment of our passenger load requirements while benefitting the environment with 30-to-50 percent less fuel burn than competing jets.”

The addition of Eclipse charter services provides AAG clients with both fixed and rotary wing options to meet their travel needs. In addition, the Eclipse service will increase AAG’s service area by 1,125 nautical miles from the metro New York area and fly at a maximum speed of 430 miles per hour. In addition, the Eclipse will provide AAG customers access to more than 6,000 airports across the United States and Canada.

AAG’s Eclipse aircraft is configured for executive travel, with all-leather interiors, exceptionally quiet cabins, dual climate zone temperature controls and satellite phone capability.

AAG provides helicopter and fixed wing charter flights, fractional ownership and helicopter maintenance services from its New York and Philadelphia installations. It is the only executive helicopter company to own and operate its own Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Part 145 maintenance facility and is a Sikorsky Certified Repair Center.

Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., based in Stratford, Conn., is a world leader in helicopter design, manufacture, and service. United Technologies Corp. is based in Hartford, Conn., and provides a broad range of high technology products and support services to the aerospace and building systems industries.