Dec. 24 – AgustaWestland, a Finmeccanica company, has signed contracts for a total amount of € 435 million in the United Kingdom and Azerbaijan. In particular, the helicopter company has signed a three-year agreement (March 2013 – April 2016) with the Ministry of Defense – worth £260 million, equivalent to approximately €320 million – for the provision of operational support services for the Sea King helicopters fleet (SKIOS, Sea King Integrated Operational Support) alongside the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force. This agreement follows those previously signed with the Ministry for the 2005 – March 2013 period. AgustaWestland also signed an agreement valued at approximately € 115 million with Azerbaijan Airlines for the supply of ten helicopters (eight AW139 and two AW189). These will be used in various kinds of missions, including offshore transport, helicopter rescue, search and rescue, and VIP transport. This contract marks the entrance of AgustaWestland helicopters in the Azerbaijani very promising market, and increases the number of major international operators who have chosen the AgustaWestland latest generation models: AW139, AW169 and AW189. Azerbaijan Airlines will benefit of the company’s high technological standards and its most advanced security systems, while prospective maintenance activities and training for the use of the ordered helicopters is already underway, to significantly reduce the operating costs.
