RN-Aircraft orders AW189 commercial helicopters for oil & gas application

SAMARATE, Italy, 23 July 2015. Finmeccanica-AgustaWestland officials signed a contract for the sale of 10 AW189 commercial helicopters to RN-Aircraft, a subsidiary of oil company Rosneft. The new helicopters will be used for transportation purposes. Delivery of the aircraft is expected between 2015 and 2017.

Rosneft plans to order further helicopters by 2025, for a total of up to 160 units, as already set out in the framework agreement signed in December 2014 and with the involvement of Russian Helicopters, a subsidiary of Rostec Corp.

The parties also reached an agreement for the progressive restructuring of HeliVert, a 50-50 Finmeccanica-AgustaWestland and Russian Helicopters joint venture, which foresees the future participation of Rosneft, worth 30% of the shares. Subsequently, shares in HeliVert will be redistributed as follows: 40% to Finmeccanica-AgustaWestland, 30% to Russian Helicopters, 30% to Rosneft.

“With Rosneft joining HeliVert, Finmeccanica will strengthen its industrial collaboration with its Russian partners and its commercial presence, by introducing a new product into the Russian market, which has already proven extremely successful globally,” officials say.

With more than 150 helicopters already sold to customers worldwide, including orders, framework contracts, and options, the 8.3/8.6 tone AW189 is the most successful commercial helicopter in the “super medium” category and is able to carry up to 19 passengers. Developed to respond the growing market demand for a modern multirole helicopter with large capacity and long range capability, the AW189 meets the latest and most stringent certification and safety standards.

The cockpit design, incorporating the latest in advanced situational awareness technologies, reduces crew workload and enhances safety. The AW189 meets the very latest international regulatory safety requirements (EASA / FAA Part 29, JAR OPS 3 / EU-OPS). The AW189 is unique in having a 50-minute run-dry capable main gear box, exceeding current certification standards and offering unmatched safety and reliability for long range operations.

The AW189 is part of the AgustaWestland Family of new generation helicopters that includes the AW169 and AW139 models, which possess the same high performance flight characteristics and safety features as well as sharing a common cockpit layout, design philosophy and maintenance concept. This commonality will allow more effective operations for customers operating helicopter fleets across the 4 to 9 tonne weight categories.