Leonardo has announced that Malaysia’s Weststar is to be the launch operator for the AW609 in Southeast Asia. Under the terms of the agreement, Weststar will take a single AW609 on lease while the aircraft is used to explore its use in a variety of roles. As part of the deal, Leonardo will also provide initial training and maintenance support during the demonstration period.
“As Weststar continues to push the boundaries of innovation and operational excellence, we are excited to partner with Leonardo to introduce the AW609 tiltrotor in Malaysia. This groundbreaking aircraft will revolutionise our operational capabilities, providing us with a versatile platform to fulfil our various missions. We are proud to be the pioneer in bringing the world’s first multirole tiltrotor to Southeast Asia, and we look forward to demonstrating its exceptional capabilities to our present and potential clients,” said Tan Sri Dr Syed Azman Syed Ibrahim, the Group Managing Director of The Weststar Group.
Signed up for five more AW139s
In addition to the AW609 announcement, Weststar has also committed to the purchase of five more AW139s which will be deployed in support of the operator’s energy support operations. Earlier this week, using one of its VIP-configured AW139s, Weststar completed Malaysia’s first SAF-fuelled flight operated between Leonardo’s Malaysian base at Subang airport and the LIMA show in Langkawi.
