Communications

Philadelphia, 19 February 2008
 
Finmeccanica inaugurated its new AgustaWestland facility in Philadelphia, where the medium twin-engine AW139 helicopter will be assembled and where the assembly line for the single-engine AW119 Ke is already active.

The Philadelphia plant covers an area of 10,000 sq m and comes in addition to the existing one in Vergiate, near Varese in Italy. The new assembly line will enable AgustaWestland to meet rising demand for the AW139 on the global, and particularly the American, market. The facility will be soon able to produce 30 AW139 helicopters each year.

Pier Francesco Guarguaglini, Chairman and CEO of Finmeccanica, said: "The decision to expand the factory by building a second assembly line, aimed at increasing output of one of our most successful products, clearly demonstrates that Finmeccanica and AgustaWestland are strongly committed to increasing their presence and investing further in the US, where currently more than 2,000 people are employed".

"These efforts - added Guarguaglini - come in addition to those already made in recent years with the creation of a factory in Charleston, South Carolina, for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner programme, and - in the future - with the opening of a site for the final assembly of the C-27J for the US Army and Air Force. We also operate in the US via partnerships for the VH-71 presidential helicopter and the BA609
tiltrotor in Owego, New York and Amarillo, Texas.
 
The US is one of the most competitive markets in the world, and we want to maintain our tradition of success by continuing to offer first-class products".

AgustaWestland has had operations in Philadelphia since 1980, and in 1986 it built a 7,000 sq m site for the maintenance of its fleet of commercial helicopters in the US. There followed several years of growth, culminating in the construction of an assembly line for the AW119 Koala in 2004. The Philadelphia facility also customises the AW109 Power and Grand light twin-engine helicopters for the
American market.

The facility has gradually gained in importance over time in terms of both output and its status as the main product support centre in the Americas. This has created new employment opportunities.
 
The Philadelphia site, which currently employs about 500 people, also provides flight training and maintenance services. Thanks to this wide range of products and services, AgustaWestland can offer complete solutions for a commercial fleet of more than 360 helicopters in the Americas.