Key facts
- Leonardo has opened a new helicopter support hub at Elstree, near London.
- The new facility represents an investment of approximately £15 million.
- The hub is expected to create new highly-skilled engineering roles.
- The company previously secured a £1bn contract for Ministry of Defence helicopters.
- The author experienced a six-minute helicopter journey from London Heliport to Elstree.
Helicopter manufacturer Leonardo has established a new commercial support hub at Elstree, north of London, marking an expansion of its UK operations. This move follows the company securing a significant £1 billion contract to supply helicopters to the Ministry of Defence, a deal that had previously led Leonardo to warn of potential closure of its UK manufacturing facility if investment was delayed.
The new Elstree site, which was identified during the pandemic, has received an investment of approximately £15 million. It will serve as a maintenance and support facility for Leonardo's commercial helicopter arm, which caters to private clients, including many prominent British billionaires. The initial stock investment in components and parts for the hub is estimated to exceed £10 million.
The facility is designed to create highly-skilled engineering roles, with 10 employees currently based there permanently. This number is expected to increase to around 25 during periods of high demand, with the capacity to house up to four aircraft at a time. The author described a personal helicopter journey from the London Heliport in Battersea to Elstree, a trip that took just six minutes, contrasting sharply with the estimated 90-minute car journey.
The interior of Leonardo's helicopters can be customized to buyer preferences, similar to luxury car brands like Bentley or Rolls Royce, with options ranging from blue leather seats to mahogany paneling.