CBI: 50 YEARS OF BUSINESS INNOVATION | UK SPOTLIGHT


CHARTING A NEW FLIGHT PLAN


AGUSTAWESTLAND www.agustawestland.com


“Our future is built on our history,” says Daniele Romiti, CEO of AgustaWestland. This Anglo-Italian giant was formed in 2001 from the merger of two celebrated aviation companies with two centuries of expertise between them. Italy’s Agusta traces its history back to the pioneering aircraft launched by Giovanni Agusta in 1907, while Westland has been manufacturing aircraft at its base in Yeovil since 1915. AgustaWestland, now a division of the hi-tech


industrial group Finmeccanica, has traditionally produced military helicopters in the UK – from the seaplanes it built for the First World War campaign right up to the AW101 helicopter that featured in the recent James Bond movie Skyfall. Until five years ago, 80 per cent of its revenue was generated by the UK’s Ministry of Defence. “It became clear that we had to realign


the business in the UK to the changing market conditions,” says Romiti. “We had to diversify.” While military orders will continue to play a large part in the company’s output, it is now increasing its design, development and manufacture of civilian craft, with the goal that 30 per cent of orders will come from the commercial sector.


A CIVIL SERVICE This decision was in response to the success of AgustaWestland’s new generation of commercial helicopters. It is led by the AW189, a new 8.3 tonne twin-engine helicopter that has been optimised for long-range search-and-rescue (SAR) missions, as well as offshore passenger transport. A final assembly line has been established at the Yeovil factory and is now producing these aircraft for Bristow, which has been contracted to operate the UK’s SAR service. The AW189 is part of a family of helicopters that includes the AW139 and the AW169. They all share the same high-performance flight characteristics and safety features, as well as a common cockpit layout, design philosophy and maintenance concept. “Customers are flying to make a profit, so


aircraft reliability is absolutely crucial,” says Romiti. “Our mission is to deliver the most capable and cost-effective helicopters on the market. We are continually improving our helicopters, introducing new technologies and the latest avionic systems to improve their effectiveness and enhance safety.”


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