AgustaWestland announce the sale of an AW139 intermediate twin helicopter in VIP/corporate configuration in the UK. The aircraft will be delivered to an undisclosed customer in autumn 2015. This latest contract further expands the success of the AW139 for VIP transport missions in the United Kingdom, bringing to five the total of aircraft of this type sold into the country in the last three years.

This AW139 will feature a highly flexible interior layout suited to comfortably host up to seven passengers and Full Icing Protection System (FIPS) for maximum all-weather capability, allowing the aircraft to fly in known icing conditions.

As the only helicopter in its class to meet all the latest certification standards, the AW139 is proving a popular replacement for older designs in the VIP market, where safety, comfort and performance are the foremost considerations. The AW139 delivers best-in-class performance with a maximum cruise speed of 165 knots (306 kph), a range in excess of 500 nm (927 km), endurance of 5 hours and superior hover performance. With its power reserve, the AW139 assures Category “A” (Class 1) superior performance from a helipad (elevated or at ground level) at maximum take-off weight.

With the largest passenger cabin in its class the AW139 can accommodate up to 15 passengers or six to ten passengers is a number of spacious and comfortable VIP seating arrangements. The six large cabin windows provide passengers with an excellent view from the cabin with access via sliding doors or a hinged door. A wide range of customer specified optional equipment is available on the AW139 including audio visual equipment, telecommunications and refreshments stowage. The baggage compartment provides 3.4 m3 (120 ft3) of easily accessible storage with access from external doors and also the cabin if required.

The AW139’s modern design ensures ease of maintenance and high availability due to reduced numbers of components, easy access to all the main systems by ground technicians, extended life-cycles for critical components and advanced diagnostics technology. European customers can also undertake a range of training courses on the AW139 Level D Full Flight Simulators located at AgustaWestland’s ‘A. Marchetti’ Training Academy in Sesto Calende, Italy. Orders for over 770 AW139s have been placed by more than 200 customers in over 60 nations to date. More than 650 units are already in service carrying out a wide variety of missions such as VIP/corporate and passenger transport, offshore transport, SAR/EMS, law enforcement, firefighting and government roles.