Bell Helicopter has added to the backlog for its developmental 505 Jet Ranger with a tentative order for 30 examples from Indonesia’s Whitesky Aviation.
No delivery dates have been specified for the light single-engined helicopters, which have a list price of a little over $1 million each.
Whitesky Aviation intends to use the fleet for air taxi operations throughout the Indonesian archipelago.
It operates a fleet of six Bell rotorcraft, comprising three 429 light twins and three 407 singles.
Bell is still working to obtain civil certification for the Turbomeca Arrius 2R-powered 505 – a development anticipated this year – and is around six months behind schedule.
The manufacturer says it has received more than 380 letters of intent for the Jet Ranger X, with more than 130 in the Asia-Pacific region.
Source: Flight International
