Page 4 - LIMA 2023 - DAY 2 | DAILY NEWS

LEONARDO VIEWS STRONG

ROTORCRAFT PROSPECTS IN SE ASIA

Leonardo is eyeing significant growth Also, Leonardo believes the AW149 latest expects to expand the range of courses
prospects for its helicopter offerings in generation multirole medium twin engine available. Established in 2013, the Training
South East Asia. The company which is helicopter is the perfect fit to meet emerg- Academy is currently equipped with an
participating in the ongoing LIMA, has a ing requirements across the region. With an AW139 Full Flight Simulator (FFS), while
wide range of helicopters in its portfolio, active production line and an established and a second AW139 and AW189 Level D
which can undertake missions for public market presence across geographies, is expected to become operational by the
utility services such as firefighting, search including South-East Asia, the AW149 is first months of 2024.
and rescue and disaster relief capabilities, the only all new military aircraft in its cat-
as well as offshore transport missions, egory, leveraging advanced technology, Regional Appeal
passenger transport and government oper- high performance in all conditions, wide
ation. The company’s prospects in these cabin and high payload, and is supported by From a broader prospective of the whole
areas are quickly growing, in addition to its unique maintenance and training capabili- area of South East Asia, the success of
military helicopters which are class leading. ties already present in the region. Also, its Leonardo in the helicopter market has
high customization possibilities by design grown further in the region, with new orders
Leonardo has grown significantly in allow for significant collaborations and from Thailand and Indonesia announced
Malaysia over the last 10 years, supplying localization in Malaysia. earlier this year.
a fleet of 60 helicopters that are operational
with military, law enforcement, search and Strong Support
rescue, firefighting, VIP and commercial With a regional hub for Customer Support SFS Aviation, a leading provider of offshore
activities. and Training near Kuala Lumpur, Leonardo helicopter services for Oil and Gas com-
panies in Thailand has ordered two more
is the only helicopter manufacturer to have AW139s. These aircraft are slated to be
The Royal Malaysian Navy and the Royal selected Malaysia as its exclusive hub for delivered later this year and will take the
Malaysian Air Force are the latest new maintenance and support services cover- total of AW139s operated by SFS Aviation
AW139 operators recently selecting the ing South East Asia and the Far East. The to seven. The Thai helicopter operator
type in the country, while, looking at future Customer Support range of solutions made has been a long established operator of
outlooks, the AW609 tiltrotor could rep- available in the area from the hub includes offshore transport-configured AW139s in
resent asignificant opportunity for the the aircraft maintenance (Line & Base) to South East Asia since 2010.
Malaysian commercial passenger transport specific customisations, on-site trouble-
market and other applications. shooting and repair, full fleet management
with continuous airworthiness manage- In Indonesia, Travira Air signed a contract
The static display at the ongoing LIMA, ment (technical and logistic assistance) for one more AW139 expected to be deliv-
features an AW109 Power and an AW189 services and complete turnkey solutions. ered in 2024 to carry out offshore transport
of Malaysia’s Fire and Rescue Department The hub is aimed at constantly increasing missions. This aircraft will join a fleet of
(Bomba), to highlight its capabilities in the the R&O capabilities for components in four AW139s currently operated by Travira
helicopters public utility services such as East Asia. Air, a prime helicopter operator in the region
firefighting, search and rescue and disas- and a Recognized Maintenance Centre of
ter relief capabilities and celebrate their Located in Kuala Lumpur, the Leonardo Leonardo in the country. Furthermore, in
success in the area. The AW109 Power Training Academy, offers a range of tech- Indonesia the success of Leonardo’s offer
is operational with an all-new emergency nical, logistic and training services for the grows further with sales of an AW169 and
medical service, which was recently estab- AW109 series, AW169, AW139 and AW189 an AW139 VIP-configured helicopters to
lished in Malaysia. helicopters for the Eastern markets and private Indonesian customers.
4 MAY-24-2023 WWW.GBP.COM.SG/DAILY NEWS