Heliflight has taken advantage of the economic prosperity in Panama to become a major player in the country’s helicopter transportation market.

Helicopter transportation is one of the sectors that has benefited most from Panama’s economic growth. New construction work and tourist activities – along with major building projects such as the enlargement of the Panama Canal – have attracted numerous investors, subcontractors and service providers, who need to quickly move between the different sites. Fuelled by the country’s economic vitality, Eurocopter’s fleet in Panama will grow by 30% next year. The Group currently has 19 helicopters in Panama, a 51% share of the market. For Heliflight, which offers passenger and cargo transportation services with its two AS350 B3 Ecureuil/AStars and an EC120 B, the booming economy has been a blessing. It is therefore not surprising that the company did not think twice about signing a contract for eight new helicopters (six AS350 B3 Ecureuil/AStars, an EC120 B and an EC135). Deliveries of the new aircraft will begin at the end of the year and continue through to mid-2010. "Heliflight is determined to offer top-quality flight services to investors, business leaders and policy-makers, which is why the company decided in 2007 to renew its fleet of helicopters in order to meet the strictest safety standards in the aeronautics sector,” explained Heliflight’s CEO, Granvil R. Kincaid. “That’s why we decided to contact the world leader in the field–Eurocopter. They offer the highest quality technical support and assistance, which is crucial to our business. Heliflight will be taking on a large share of the transportation services resulting from Panama’s economic growth,” Mr. Kincaid continued. “And we’ll now be faced with new challenges, such as training flight crews and maintenance teams and doing what it takes to ensure that our helicopters meet the highest standards in terms of efficiency. This is a must in such a highly competitive market. We will be counting on help from Eurocopter de Mexico. We’ve already been working with them for some time and are very satisfied with their services. The quality of their organization and technical coordination is just superb.”