AGUSTAWESTLAND TO USE MALAYSIA AS SPRINGBOARD TO ASIA`S CIVIL MARKET

By Nor Baizura Basri

LANGKAWI (Malaysia), Dec 5 (Bernama) -- Helicopter manufacturer
AgustaWestland has identified Malaysia as a springboard to penetrate the civil
market in Asia.

The company's regional business executive, Peter Richings, said the region's
civil market would continue to grow with the growing importance of having
helicopters for everyday operations.

"The oil and gas industry is one of the areas in the civil market where you
have to have helicopters. So, it is going to be an important sector for us.

"Currently, we do not have any clients in oil and gas from Malaysia and the
region," he told Bernama in an interview on the sidelines of the Langkawi
International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA 2009) Saturday.

Over the last five years, he said, the company had sold 450 helicopters,
one-third of those were sold to offshore oil and gas operators around the world.

"We have delivered about nearly 200 helicopters and again one-third of these
are offshore oil and gas in South America and Africa. So, the Asian region and
Malaysia provide a greater potential for us to tap," Richings said.

He said LIMA 2009 served as a great platform for the company to promote
itself and raise its profile in Malaysia as well as the Asian region.

Currently, the Malaysian army has 11 of its aircraft, the navy six, the
Fire and Rescue Department two and the Maritime Enforcement Agency three.

More AgustaWestland AW139 helicopters are scheduled for delivery in 2010 for
the fire brigade and maritime agency for firefighting, search and rescue,
maritime protection and surveillance duties.

AgustaWestland is the market leader in the maritime helicopter market and
has the widest range of maritime helicopters, spanning the entire weight range.
AW139 is the world's best selling medium twin-engine helicopter and market
leader in the offshore oil and gas support market.

-- BERNAMA