AgustaWestland, a Finmeccanica company, is pleased to announce that the AW139 medium twin helicopter fleet operated by Gulf Helicopters of Qatar has achieved the milestone of 20,000 flying hours. 

Gulf Helicopter is one of the largest AW139 operators worldwide and a prime player in the Middle East with 12 helicopters of this type already in service and five more to be delivered. Gulf Helicopters first ordered the AW139 in 2007 as part of its fleet renewal and expansion plans and the aircraft has been performing offshore transport missions. Gulf Helicopters is also an authorized service centre for AgustaWestland for their AW139s and also one of the first Helicopters Company to have its full flight simulator for AW139 for its operations and third party use.

Bruno Spagnolini, Chief Executive Officer, AgustaWestland, said “We congratulate Gulf Helicopters on achieving the 20,000 hours milestone, a particularly notable one given the demanding operational and environmental conditions encountered supporting offshore operations. Achieving so many flight hours in few years is evidence of the effectiveness and safety of the AW139 and our commitment to support offshore operator’s requirements. We are now even more committed to expanding our partnership with Gulf Helicopters to allow this operator to achieve new major operational milestones in the future.”  

State-of-the-art technology, outstanding performance, low operating costs and the only helicopter in its class to meet the latest safety standards, have made the AW139 the helicopter of choice in the medium twin market. With its power reserve, the AW139 delivers Category A (Class 1) performance from a helipad (elevated or at ground level) at maximum take-off weight with an unmatched one engine inoperative capability. The standard configuration provides seating for twelve or fifteen passengers in a large and bright 8.0 m3 cabin with excellent ease of access and egress via large sliding cabin doors. Excellent payload and performance ensure unmatched productivity for offshore operations. Almost 160 customers from over 50 countries have ordered almost 580 helicopters to perform a wide range of roles including offshore transport, EMS/SAR, VIP/corporate transport, law enforcement, utility and government missions.