Granted by the European Aviation Safety Agency on 31 October, the certification lifts MTOW to 4.8t from 4.6t.

The manufacturer says the additional 200kg is “extra payload” and translates to a range extension of 100nm (185km) if used for extra fuel.

Existing AW169 customers will be able to retrofit the enhanced gross weight kit to their helicopters, and deliveries of 4.8t AW169s are expected to start shortly, the airframer says.

While never previously confirming the plan, in early October the manufacturer hinted that the MTOW increase was imminent.

In addition, the AW169 has been certificated by Brazil's civil aviation regulator ANAC, with first delivery in the country imminent.