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Era Group sets AW139 flight-hour milestone

Era Group set an operational milestone by logging 200,000 flight hours with its fleet of 36 Leonardo AW139 helicopters, primarily used for offshore missions. This includes 166,000 operating flight hours and 34,000 hours in support of leasing partnerships.

Leonardo describes Era as one of its prime civil helicopter customers. Based in Houston, Texas, the company is also scheduled to be the launch customer for the world’s first Leonardo’s AW609 tiltrotor, with delivery expected next year. Era is also noted as the longest-serving helicopter transport provider in the United States, providing emergency response services, firefighting, utility, and VIP transport, in addition to offshore oil and gas transport.

“Our strong operational record and this flight hour milestone is a result of Era’s commitment to safety and the ongoing collaborative support between Leonardo and Era,” said Stuart Stavley, Era’s senior VP, operations and fleet management.

Era’s AW139s are flown under what Leonardo describes as continuous advanced HUMS monitoring as a standard technology support capability, helping to provide enhanced reliability, safety and cost-effective maintenance. In addition to the AW139s, Era’s fleet includes AW189, AW119 and AW109 helicopters. Era’s flight time in all Leonardo models now exceeds 350,000 flight hours. In collaboration with Leonardo, Era also operates a Leonardo Service Center in Lake Charles, Louisiana.

More than 1,100 AW139s have been ordered by more than 270 customers in around 70 nations to date, with over 950 delivered amassing in excess of 2.3 million flight hours.