LifeFlight will next week take delivery of its 17th AW139 helicopter as the Leonardo platform prepares to mark nearly two decades of service in Australia.
LifeFlight made the announcement at the RotorTech Vertical Flight Exposition on the Gold Coast, where it reaffirmed its long-standing partnership with Leonardo Helicopters.
Next week’s delivery will take the total number of AW139 helicopters in the Oceania region to 80 across multiple operators and mission types.
LifeFlight and Leonardo have committed to further aircraft in the future, with the aeromedical organisation expecting to have one of the largest fleets in Australia by 2027.
LifeFlight’s partnership with Leonardo dates back to 2015, when it took delivery of its first AW139. The platform was first operated in Australia in 2008 and has become the preferred choice for aeromedical, search and rescue, law enforcement and rapid deployment missions.
The aircraft have been instrumental in contributing to more than 90,000 people helped in total since LifeFlight’s inception in 1979.
Ashley van de Velde, LifeFlight’s CEO and Managing Director, said: “The AW139 has been central to LifeFlight’s growth as one of Australia’s largest aeromedical services. Missions and flying hours are rising year-on-year as our teams fly farther and faster into more complex situations than ever before. The partnership with Leonardo gives us the platform, engineering depth and training systems to meet that demand in safe and sustainable ways.”
LifeFlight last year airlifted more than 8,800 people, up four per cent on the previous year, in regions across Queensland from the southeast to northwest. The organisation’s total helicopter flying hours rose 10 per cent to more than 6,000 and missions increased by nine per cent to exceed 3,800.
Daniele Alzetta, Leonardo Helicopters’ VP Sales for Asia-Pacific, said the AW139 had consistently demonstrated reliable, safe and high-performance capability across the most demanding mission environments.
He added: “Australia’s geography and climate present unique challenges, and LifeFlight’s growing fleet and rising operational frequency confirm the AW139 as the platform best suited to meet them. We are proud to support LifeFlight as it expands its fleet for rapid response missions.”
