AgustaWestland, a Finmeccanica company, is pleased to announce that the AW139 medium twin helicopter fleet operated by Gulf Helicopters of Qatar has achieved the milestone of 20,000 flying hours.

Gulf Helicopter is one of the largest AW139 operators worldwide and a prime player in the Middle East with 12 helicopters of this type already in service and five more to be delivered. Gulf Helicopters first ordered the AW139 in 2007 as part of its fleet renewal and expansion plans and the aircraft has been performing offshore transport missions. Gulf Helicopters is also an authorized service centre for AgustaWestland for their AW139s and also one of the first helicopters companies to have its own full flight simulator for the AW139 for its own operations and third party use.

Bruno Spagnolini, Chief Executive Officer, AgustaWestland, said “We congratulate Gulf Helicopters on achieving the milestone of 20,000 hours in such a short time. It is a particularly notable one given the demanding environmental conditions the fleet is operating in. We are totally committed to supporting the demands of offshore helicopter operators worldwide and look forward to further expanding our partnership with Gulf Helicopters and to celebrate future major operational milestones.”

State-of-the-art technology, outstanding performance, low operating costs and the only helicopter in its class to meet the latest safety standards, have made the AW139 the helicopter of choice in the medium twin market. With its power reserve, the AW139 delivers Category A (Class 1) performance from a helipad (elevated or at ground level) at maximum take-off weight with an unmatched one engine inoperative capability. The standard configuration provides seating for twelve or fifteen passengers in a large and bright 8.0 m3 cabin with excellent ease of access and egress via large sliding cabin doors. Excellent payload and performance ensure unmatched productivity for offshore operations. Almost 160 customers from over 50 countries have ordered almost 580 helicopters to perform a wide range of roles including offshore transport, EMS/SAR, VIP/corporate transport, law enforcement, utility and government missions.

Gulf Helicopters is owned by Qatar Petroleum, through a holding Company, Gulf International Services and General Public of State of Qatar. Gulf Helicopters have been providing helicopter services since 1970 working with companies throughout the Middle East, India and North Africa. Gulf Helicopters has its own in-house maintenance facility with a team of highly qualified and experienced engineers undertaking fleet maintenance and modification work.