OREANDA-NEWS. The UTair Personnel Training Center and Airbus Helicopters, formerly Eurocopter, have extended their cooperation agreement at the HeliRussia 2014 exhibition on May 23, 2014. The agreement certifies the UTair Personnel Training Center to train pilots and technical personnel to operate helicopters produced by Airbus Helicopters.

The UTair Personnel Training Center in Tyumen was originally certified by Airbus Helicopters in 2011. This center is the only existing training facility owned and operated by an external partner and not the company itself. Over the past three years of cooperation, 106 pilots and 103 technicians have been trained to operate and maintain AS350 B3 and AS355 N/NP helicopters.

“The market is developing quickly and our customers demand modern services,” said UTair CEO Andrey Martirosov. “Cooperation with Airbus Helicopters on after-sales services is our key market advantage and we are very glad to have our certification extended. We hope to continue our cooperation with Airbus Helicopters.”

“The large quantity of pilots who have completed their training at the UTair Personnel Training Center is a hallmark of its success,” remarked Airbus Helicopters Vostok CEO Laurence Rigolini. “The center offers its expertise in training pilots to operate our helicopters in Russia, and we are proud to have UTair among our partners.”

UTair has used Airbus Helicopters product solutions since 2006. The UTair fleet includes 28 AS355 N, AS350 B3 and BO-105 rotorcraft used for transporting VIP passengers, serving oil and gas companies, surveillance works on pipelines and cargo transportation. In 2014 UTair will become one of the first companies to operate next generation EC175 helicopters.

The UTair Group includes airlines conducting passenger and cargo operations with fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft as well as enterprises offering MRO, personnel training, flight services and air transportation sales services. UTair Aviation is the Group's core enterprise and includes UTair-Express, UTair-Ukraine, UTair-Cargo, UTair-Helicopter services, Turuhan Airlines, Vostok Airlines, Katekavia, Helisur, UTair Europe, UTair South Africa, UTair India, UTair-Technik, UTair-Engineering, Ural Aviation Services, UТair-TG, UTair-Armenia and other enterprises. UTair Group headquarters are situated in Surgut. Subsidiaries are located in Surgut, Tyumen, Khanty-Mansyisk, Moscow and in other cities in Russia and world.