PRESS RELEASE – Rome, 16 December 2020
- The delivery grows the number of AW139s operated by WIKING Helikopter Service GmbH in Germany, supporting the energy industry, to four aircraft
- The operator’s standardisation and modernisation programme based on the AW139 is helping to meet the evolving requirements of its customers
- Nearly 1,200 AW139s ordered by more than 280 customers in over 70 nations worldwide, nearly 1,100 delivered and 2.9 million flight hours logged in operations to date
Leonardo announced today that WIKING Helikopter Service GmbH has taken delivery of a new AW139 7-tonne intermediate twin engine helicopter from Leonardo’s Vergiate facility, further expanding an existing fleet of three aircraft.
The helicopter will be used to carry out offshore transport missions supporting energy industry operations in Northern Europe.
WIKING has been an offshore transport specialist in the North and Baltic Sea areas for over 45 years. It has three bases in Germany and two in the UK. The Company also performs sea pilot transfer, a windmill engineer hoisting service, and emergency medical service operations with its fleet of seven helicopters of various types.
“Our fleet standardisation and modernisation programme launched a few years ago is helping to meet the evolving requirements of our customers and the growth of our AW139 fleet is providing a valuable support for this goal. Our decision to leverage the unrivalled mission capabilities, operational efficiency and reliability in its category of the popular AW139 are testament to our commitment to delivering the best level of safety, quality, and service across the region,” said Ernst Nassl, CEO Wiking Helikopter Service GmbH.
The AW139 has proven extremely popular in the region for offshore, search and rescue, passenger transport and law enforcement duties. The type set new standards in terms of flight and mission technology, cabin space and comfort, performance, safety and reliability as well as introducing advanced support, maintenance and training services. The AW139 is even exceeding the evolving energy market’s stringent requirements with unique features including a 60+ minutes run dry capable main gear box and full or limited ice protection system as an option to fly in known icing conditions for true all-weather operations. Nearly 1,200 AW139s have been ordered by more than 280 customers in over 70 nations to date for any kind of mission. The global fleet of nearly 1,100 units has amassed over 2.9 million flight hours to date.