Starspeed, which has its headquarters at Fairoaks airport in the UK, has signed a preliminary sales contract to obtain an additional AW169 helicopter after previously placing an order for one last November.

“The AW169 is just the product to meet our demands,” says chairman David Voy. “Corporate customers first and foremost look for speed and supreme levels of comfort; they need operations to be available at short notice, potentially anywhere in the world, with a minimum of additional support. They demand the highest standards of safety and reliability and expect justifiable purchase costs.

“Our own early faith in the potential of the AW169 has been further endorsed with the confirmation of this order.”

The aircraft will perform vip missions in the UK and is scheduled for certification in 2014.