Finmeccanica: First AgustaWestland AW169 for the UK Market Lands at Its Base

Finmeccanica, through its helicopter division, hands over to Specialist Aviation Services its first AgustaWestland AW169 new generation intermediate class helicopter. The helicopter is also the first to be delivered to a UK customer and will enter service with Kent, Surrey, & Sussex Air Ambulance following installation of an advanced medical interior by Specialist Aviation Services.

Group managing director of Specialist Aviation Services, Henk Schaeken says, “We are very proud to be introducing the all new AW169 helicopter into service in the UK with one of the country’s leading air ambulance operators. We have been very busy training our engineers and pilots in preparation for the introduction to service of the AW169, so we can deliver from the outset the same high level of aircraft availability and support which our customers have come to expect from us.”

Adrian Bell, chief executive, Kent, Surrey & Sussex Air Ambulance Trust adds, “The imminent delivery of the AW169 is a very significant event in the development of HEMS in the UK, especially in a heavily populated region the size of Kent, Surrey and Sussex – some 3,600 square miles. The enhanced capabilities of the helicopter will allow us to further develop and improve the life-saving service we deliver to the community, and the aircraft offers the exciting potential to reconfigure how these services are delivered for maximum effect in the future.”

Specialist Aviation Services has also been appointed as an authorized service center for the new generation AW169 light intermediate helicopter in the UK and will provide a range of support and maintenance services to AW169 operators.