Leonardo-Finmeccanica announced today that Falcon Aviation of Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) has taken delivery of a new generation AgustaWestland AW169 light intermediate twin helicopter this month. The handover makes Falcon Aviation the first operator in UAE to use the new type and the first customer worldwide to use the aircraft for offshore oil and gas transportation. The announcement was made during an official ceremony held at EBACE 2016 (Geneva, May 24th-26th). This delivery follows others in Europe and Australia for executive/private transport, emergency medical services and utility roles, testifying the versatility and global market success of the new model.

Falcon Aviation has placed orders for two AW169s, one in offshore transport and one in VVIP transport configuration. The offshore-configured AW169 will be used to support oil & gas operations in Abu Dhabi for TOTAL ABK. Falcon Aviation has been supporting TOTAL ABK oil & gas operations for over eight years. The AW169 in VVIP configuration is to be delivered to Falcon Aviation in August.

The introduction of the new generation AW169 into their fleet will expand the range of Leonardo-Finmeccanica helicopters operated by Falcon Aviation which already include four light twin helicopters, comprising the Grand and GrandNew models, and two all new AW189 8.6 tonne helicopters.

The AW169 and AW189 models are part of Leonardo-Finmeccanica’s family of new generation helicopters that also includes the AW139. These helicopters all possess the same high-performance flight characteristics and safety features whilst sharing the same common cockpit concept and design philosophy. This approach facilitates synergies for operators of fleets across the 4 to 9 tonne weight categories in areas such as training, flight operations, maintenance and support.