A representative for Leonardo tells CNBC Make It the company hopes to gain Federal Aviation Administration certification by the end of 2019, and if approved, the model could then hit the skies in 2020.
However, an AW609 prototype crashed during a flight test in 2015, killing two pilots, according to CNN. “Regulators are going to look very closely at this aircraft in light of the developmental difficulties,” Richard Aboulafia, aviation industry analyst of Teal Group, an aerospace and defense consulting company, told CNN, “but they’re certainly not going to certify a product that isn’t safe.” (Leonardo did not respond to CNBC Make It’s request for comment on the incident.)
Once it’s approved, Era Group, a helicopter service company based in Texas, will be the first U.S. customer, according to Leonardo. The company is buying two AW609s and is one the largest helicopter operators in the world, according to its website.
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