4-Sep-2013 Source: AgustaWestland
AgustaWestland, a Finmeccanica company, today announced that Weststar Aviation Services of Malaysia has taken delivery of an additional AW139, bringing the total delivered of the type to 18 in support of Weststar’s offshore oil & gas transportation and VIP transport services. The aircraft, which was built at AgustaWestland’s Philadelphia facility in the United States, was accepted by Tan Sri Syed Azman Syed Ibrahim, Weststar Group Managing Director from William Hunt, CEO, AgustaWestland Philadelphia, during a ceremony held today.
In total, Weststar Aviation Services has ordered 30 helicopters from AgustaWestland since 2010, comprising 24 AW139s, four AW189s and two AW169s.
“The acceptance of our 18th AW139 further strengthens our partnership with AgustaWestland and allows us to be the leading provider of offshore aviation services in the region,” said Tan Sri Syed Azman Syed Ibrahim, Weststar Group Managing Director. “We are proud to fly the AW139 and look forward to our future expansion plans globally that include introduction of the AW169 and the AW189 into our fleet.”
“We are pleased to deliver yet another AW139 to Weststar as they continue to expand their fleet to serve their growing list of clients in the offshore oil and gas market,” said Vincenzo Alaimo, Managing Director of AgustaWestland Malaysia Sdn Bhd. “AgustaWestland Malaysia is committed to support Weststar’s fleet of aircraft from our regional hub in Kuala Lumpur, ensuring excellent reliability, safety and performance.”
Weststar will be the one of the first operators worldwide to benefit from the commonality in design across the AW139, AW169 and AW189 Family of new generation helicopters. As well as possessing the same high performance flight characteristics and safety features, the helicopters share a common cockpit layout, design philosophy, and maintenance concepts that will allow more effective operations for customers operating helicopter fleets from 4 to 8.5 tonnes.
Formed in April 2003, Weststar Aviation Services Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Weststar Group, provides general aviation charter services, personal transport, aerial work services and offshore transport. The first AW139 entered service with Weststar Aviation Services on 1 April 2011.
Over 200 customers from nearly 60 countries have ordered more than 730 AW139 helicopters so far, making it the market leader in its class.
AgustaWestland Malaysia Sdn Bhd, a wholly owned subsidiary of AgustaWestland, continues to play a major role in the Malaysian helicopter market expanding its presence and increasing its capabilities through a continued programme of investment.
The Company’s headquarters, maintenance, support and training facilities are located at Kuala Lumpur’s Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport. AgustaWestland Malaysia is a Malaysian DCA approved maintenance and repair organization.
