“Leonardo Teams Up with Falcon Aviation to Revolutionize Luxury Helicopter Travel in the UAE with New AW139 Fleet”
At the Paris Air Show, Leonardo and Falcon Aviation Services commemorated another milestone in their enduring partnership with the announcement of a fresh order for an AW139 intermediate twin-engine helicopter. This aircraft, commissioned by Falcon Aviation’s owner His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, will be outfitted with a luxurious VVIP 8-seat layout, hinged doors, as well as an array of contemporary comfort and entertainment features.
Falcon Aviation, a leading aviation service provider in the UAE, will oversee the helicopter for VVIP charter operations. The aircraft is projected to commence service in 2027, further enhancing the company’s elite offerings in the region.
This recent acquisition emphasizes Falcon Aviation’s steadfast commitment to delivering premium, secure, and technologically sophisticated air transport solutions within the UAE and on a global scale. Concurrently, it reasserts Leonardo’s supremacy in the regional and international VIP/corporate helicopter market, boasting a worldwide share surpassing 40% in the twin-engine category by value. The VIP/corporate offerings from Leonardo are epitomized by the Agusta brand, recognized for its remarkable amalgamation of high performance, cutting-edge technology, extensive customization choices, and compliance with the latest certification standards, ensuring an exceptionally unique flight experience.
With nearly 1500 units ordered by over 300 clients across around 90 nations, and more than 4.5 million flight hours logged since its certification in 2004, the AW139 has showcased outstanding success across a wide array of missions. The AW139 delivers extraordinary capabilities, technology, and safety to meet rigorous operator requirements for operations in demanding environments, thereby optimizing efficiency. This model is equipped with advanced avionics, including sophisticated navigation and collision avoidance systems to enhance situational awareness and reduce pilots’ workload, unparalleled speed, power reserves, and overall performance; the most spacious cabin in its category, featuring high modularity for swift reconfiguration; a unique 60+ min dry-run capable main gearbox for improved reliability and safety; and up to 1000 certified kits. In the UAE, the AW139 excels in numerous roles such as passenger and offshore transportation, public service, and rescue missions.
Falcon Aviation has forged a long-term relationship with Leonardo as a helicopter operator, playing a crucial role in the implementation of Leonardo’s innovative rotorcraft technology throughout the UAE. The company has secured orders for several AW109 GrandNew light twins, AW169 intermediate twins, and AW189 super medium twin-engine helicopters for energy support functions both within the UAE and internationally, as well as for passenger transport tasks. In 2024, Falcon Aviation placed an order for its first AW139 to support offshore transport, positioning this operator as a major user of the entire AW Family of advanced-generation helicopters from Leonardo. This distinctive design concept is predicated on shared attributes across the AW169-AW139-AW189 models, encompassing certification and safety regulations, components, cockpit layout and aesthetics, along with training and technical support strategies. The Family concept has consistently delivered unmatched advantages to prominent global operators in terms of training, fleet management, versatility, efficiency, and sustainability. Recent advancements have enabled Falcon Aviation to prepare for supplementary services in terms of capacity and range, fitting perfectly within the weight/size category between the AW169 and AW189, making it even more competitive to meet emerging market demands in the UAE and across other regions.
