AgustaWestland, a Finmeccanica company, is pleased to announce that the Government of Rwanda has recently taken delivery of a Grand light twin and an AW139 medium twin helicopter. Both aircraft will be operated by Akagera Aviation. The Grand will be used to perform emergency medical service operations while the AW139 will carry out government transport missions. The Grand is not only the first of its type in Rwanda but also the first dedicated state-of-the-art EMS helicopter to enter service in Central Africa. The Grand, which has set new standards in its weight class around the world, will make a major contribution to enhancing airborne medical services in Rwanda.

The Grand and the AW139 have been chosen by the customer thanks to their outstanding features in terms of performance, payload, technology and safety standards. Both models are perfectly suited to operate in the hot and high conditions of Rwanda. The Grand is a top-of-the-range light twin helicopter offering the cabin space, performance and payload previously only associated with larger helicopters, but retains attractive light twin economics. Typical roles include executive/VIP transport, emergency medical services (EMS) and offshore transport. The Grand offers the best performance of any helicopter in its class, including full Cat. A/Class 1 capability, enabling it to operate safely from elevated helipads. Orders for over 290 helicopters have been placed by more than 150 customers in over 30 countries worldwide.

The AW139 is a new generation medium twin helicopter setting new standards against which all new medium twins are measured. The internal dimensions of the large and unobstructed cabin make the AW139 an ideal choice for many roles such as VIP/corporate transport, offshore transport, EMS/SAR, law enforcement and government applications. The flat cabin floor and ceiling provide maximum role flexibility and allows easy reconfiguration from one role to another. Over 460 AW139 helicopters have been ordered so far by over 120 customers in almost 50 countries worldwide. AgustaWestland has experienced a significant growth in the Sub-Saharan African region in recent years and now has a fleet of more than 120 helicopters of various types in service. In recent years new markets for its aircraft have included Equatorial Guinea, Congo Brazzaville, Uganda and Rwanda.Established in 2004 and headquartered at the Kigali International Airport, Akagera Aviation is a leading company in Rwanda providing high quality helicopter services including helicopter operations, maintenance and training.

Source: Agusta Westland