Farnborough Airshow closes deals worth billions
Bell agreed the purchase of the first IFR-configured Bell 407GXi to be operated in the UK.
The 46th Farnborough International Airshow closes today after aviation deals worth billions of dollars were concluded at the five-day event staged south-west of London. Helicopter manufacturers and other rotary industry leaders revealed significant deals at the show. But one name dominated the rotary and fixed-wing headlines.
Saudi Arabian operator The Helicopter Company Company (THC) revealed big news in both sectors. Backed by Saudi’s Public Investment Fund – the sovereign wealth fund, thought to manage $900bn to $1.15trn in assets, THC is not short of investment resources. These were in evidence his week.
The operator placed an additional order for 11 Leonardo Helicopters AW139 helicopters with deliveries scheduled between 2027 and 2028. Following the agreement reached at the Verticon 2026 in Atlanta in March, the additional order is said to represent a key milestone under the multi-year framework, which allows for the potential acquisition of up to 130 aircraft.
‘Grow our global footprint’
The new AW139s will be deployed on a range of missions including emergency medical services (EMS), VIP transport and offshore services. “We are proud to expand our long-standing partnership with Leonardo, which strengthens our leadership and operational capabilities in the region and beyond,” said Arnaud Martinez, CEO of THC. “Building on our existing AW139 fleet, which has made THC one of the largest and most recognised operators worldwide, this new order will contribute to our fleet optimisation strategy while supporting our plans to grow our global footprint.”
THC’s rotary orders were not confined to one manufacturer. It also revealed a firm order for eight additional Airbus Helicopters H145s. The aircraft are scheduled for delivery between 2027 and 2028 and are part of the agreement signed between THC and Airbus at Verticon in 2024.
Matthieu Louvot, CEO of Airbus Helicopters said: “The H145 has already proven its excellence in Saudi Arabia’s demanding ‘hot and high’ conditions, and we are proud to see the growing number of H145s powering THC’s operations as they scale their world-class services.”
Purchase of 60 jets
This year’s show also marked THC’s expansion into fixed-wing aviation. The operator revealed it had signed a letter of intent (LOI) with Bombardier for the purchase of 60 jets as part of its expansion into fixed-wing business aircraft charter and management. The LOI specifies a firm order for 12 aircraft including five Challenger 3500s, five Global 5500s and two Global 8000 aircraft, with purchase options for 48 more jets across all three models.
“As a portfolio of companies, THC was always poised to expand beyond rotary-wing aviation into fixed-wing operations,” said Martinez. “Our vision has always been to become the general aviation champion from Saudi Arabia to the world.”
THC’s rotary and fixed-wing orders this week advance the operator’s mission to help drive Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 development plan, he added.
€30m contract
Returning to Airbus, alongside a slew of fixed-wing orders, the manufacturer also unveiled an order for an additional two H135 helicopters from the UK’s National Police Air Service. The latest order brings the service’s total fleet renewal programme to nine H135s.
Airbus Helicopters also confirmed its tactical uncrewed aerial system U030 Flexrotor has officially started maritime surveillance operations in the Baltic Sea on behalf of the European Maritime Security Agency (EMSA). Last December, the OEM was awarded a €30m contract by the agency to provide Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) services for multipurpose maritime surveillance across the European Union, with sub-contractor operator Extensee.
Plus, Airbus agreed the first purchase order with Voyageur Aviation of for the U030 Flexrotor in Canada. Signed at the Farnborough International Airshow, the contract marks Voyageur as the official Canadian launch customer for the platform.
700th Bell 505
Other helicopter manufacturers also revealed good news from the show. Bell Textron confirmed it has delivered its 700th Bell 505 to a private VIP operator, said to highlight the platform’s popularity in the corporate aircraft segment.
“The 505 has become an increasingly attractive model across the VIP and corporate aircraft sector, largely due to its combination of modern technology and premium passenger experience,” Robin Wendling, MD, Europe, Bell told Helicopter Investor.
During this year’s show the manufacturer revealed it has reached a new milestone of 240,000 flight hours for the Bell Training Academy (BTA). The academy focuses on providing pilot and maintenance training, supporting growing demand from commercial and parapublic operators across Europe.
‘Operational insight’
Last year, BTA provided training to more than 2,000 pilots, contributing to Bell’s overall 140,000 pilots trained worldwide and now over 240,000 total flight hours accumulated throughout the academy’s history. “The Bell Training Academy is industry leading helicopter training grounded in OEM-approved data, combining deep technical expertise with real world operational insight,” said Chad Sparks, general manager, BTA.
The OEM also announced it has signed a purchase agreement for an IFR-configured Bell 407GXi to be operated by corporate operator Glyn Jones. This marks the first time the platform with an IFR configuration kit will be operated in the UK.
In other show rotary news:
*Sikorsky and Safran Helicopter Engines signed an agreement to jointly explore areas of cooperation in existing and emerging vertical lift platforms.
*HeliOperations and Reiser Simulation and Training signed an agreement for the delivery of an AW139 Flight Training Device and a stationary Reiser hoistAR training system.
*SkyDrive Inc, the eVTOL developer based in Japan announced a strategic partnership with ITO Corporation, a Japan-based specialist in high-precision automotive and aerospace machining. It is also joining forces with Kineco, one of India’s leading aerospace composite manufacturers. This is for the development and manufacturing of high-performance composite aerostructures for its production eVTOL, the SkyDrive.
*Eve Air Mobility and Moov signed an LOI for up to 30 eVTOLs to explore tourism and regional mobility opportunities in Cape Verde off the coast of West Africa. It also unveiled a partnership with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) for a focused Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) initiative at SunTrax Air.
*Vertical Aerospace, the Bristol-based eVTOL developer, completed the first public eVTOL flight at Farnborough Airport, transitioning from helicopter mode to airplane mode and back again.
Meanwhile, this year’s show attracted nearly 1,430 exhibitors from more than 40 countries and 100,358 visitors. New British Prime Minister Andy Burnham was not one of them, but he did find time to send a video message acknowledging “what a big event this is”.
Burnham is on a mission to “re-industrialise” the nation and needs the help of aviation business to accomplish that. “We will do it by working together with brilliant businesses like those at Farnborough this week,” he said.
