Bell Textron enjoys a robust presence in the African market for helicopter exports with the versatile Bell 429. This aircraft is a standout in the industry, combining modern engineering and a cutting-edge design. The Bell 429 offers a spacious and comfortable cabin, advanced avionics, and greater payload capacity than its competitors. It is also the only light twin-engine helicopter to be certified for single pilot operations. This makes it a perfect choice for business and leisure travelers alike, as well as for emergency response and medical transport. With its impressive performance, advanced safety features, and superior design, the Bell 429 is an excellent choice for African customers looking to purchase a helicopter.
Bell Textron Inc., a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, announced the delivery of a Bell 429 and a signed purchase agreement for another Bell 429, both to customers in Africa.
The Bell 429 is a popular choice for the African market and continues to demonstrate important qualities such as safety, reliability, and performance. The aircraft also offers a smooth, peaceful ride as well as a spacious and customizable cabin depending on the mission type.
“We are proud to support our customers in Africa with the Bell 429. With two now operating in South Africa and a third one soon to be operating in West Africa, the aircraft continues to excel across the many market segments for which it was designed. Featuring state-of-the-art technology to provide enhanced safety, comfort, performance and most importantly reliability, we are confident that these aircraft will help support on whatever their missions entail,” said Sameer Rehman, managing director, Africa and the Middle East, Bell.
Caverton Helicopters Limited in Cameroon signed a purchase agreement for the first oil and gas configured Bell 429 in West Africa. Caverton Helicopters is a subsidiary of the Caverton Offshore Support Group Plc (COSG), which is a fully integrated offshore support company providing aviation and marine logistics services to businesses operating in the oil and gas industry in Nigeria and across West Africa.
“Having operated a variety of Bell products across our operations over the years, we are excited to continue with this brand, which is synonymous with safety and excellent performance,” said Captain Bello Ibrahim, managing director, Caverton Helicopters. “Introducing the Bell 429 into our fleet is an exciting milestone for us and will enable us to provide the best support for our oil and gas clients across the continent.”
The newly delivered 429 will be used for corporate transportation. Thanks to its large cabin, impressive speed, and modern technology, proving critical to its operators, there are a variety of configurations available, enabling the platform to perform numerous missions ranging from energy to law enforcement and public safety.
With more than 602,000 global flight hours, there are now 430 Bell 429 in operation, more than 20 of which are in the Middle East and Africa.
Meanwhile, in November last year, Bell Textron Inc announced the delivery of the first Bell 505 to Angolan aviation company, BESTFLY. The aircraft was handed over during a ceremony in Mirabel, Canada.
“We’re proud to take delivery of the very first Bell 505 in West Africa,” said Nuno Pereira, CEO and founder, BESTFLY. This addition to our fleet will add a new dimension to our service offering and showcases our commitment to further developing the aviation industry in the region. We will be using the new 505 for corporate transportation and sightseeing tours, among other missions. It’s a great aircraft that is incredibly easy to maintain and the customer service from the Bell team has been excellent.”
Likewise, Bell 525 helicopter passed 50 demonstration flight milestones in September last year. The Bell 525 allows operators to safely perform any mission with its best-in-class design technologies. This 21st-century aircraft is on its way to becoming the first certified commercial fly-by-wire (FBW) helicopter in the global marketplace. Groundbreaking FBW technologies allow operators to tackle their toughest missions with ease.
