AgustaWestland, a Finmeccanica company, is pleased to announce that UTair of Russia has recently been certified as an AW139 helicopter operator and is set to operate ten AW139s for  passenger, corporate and VVIP transport missions in Russia. The first aircraft is expected to be handed over this summer with deliveries planned to be completed by summer 2013. The aircraft will be deployed in Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Sochi and at additional bases located in Siberia. Additionally UTair is set to become an authorized service centre for the AW139. Initial training of UTair staff has started with plans for approximately 60 pilots and 40 technicians to be qualified to fly and maintain the AW139.

Bruno Spagnolini, Chief Executive Officer, AgustaWestland said “We are delighted to add UTair to the long list of major operators who have selected the best selling AW139 helicopter. The introduction of the AW139 into its fleet strengthens our partnership with UTair and we hope this can grow in the future. We are proud to support the future success of UTair.”

The AW139, thanks to its outstanding features, has been identified and selected by Russian industry as the benchmark helicopter in the light medium weight category to meet a wide range of demanding civil requirements. Thanks to its unparalleled features and capabilities, the AW139 is perfectly suited not only for VIP/corporate transport purposes in Russia but also to meet a wide range of requirements in the parapublic market. Almost 170 customers from more than 50 countries have ordered over 630 AW139s to perform a wide range of roles including VIP/corporate transport, offshore transport, emergency medical service, search and rescue, passenger shuttle services, fire fighting, border security and law enforcement duties.

The AW139 is also set to be assembled and delivered by the HeliVert plant located in Tomilino, near Moscow. HeliVert is a Joint Venture company established by Russian Helicopters (a subsidiary of JSC UIC Oboronprom, part of Russian Technologies State Corporation) and AgustaWestland. The plant will have the capacity to assemble up to 20 helicopters per year, with production to start in the forthcoming months and progressively increasing to a steady state regime by 2015. The facility will employ over 100 people by 2015 when full production is established. The plant will meet the growing demand for the AW139 helicopters in both Russian and CIS civil markets.

UTair Aviation JSC is the world’s largest helicopter operator in terms of carrying capacity and number of rotorcraft, with more than 330 helicopters of all classes. UTair is the largest helicopter service provider to the United Nations, with cooperation agreements since1992. In Russia core clients for UTair helicopter services include the major oil and gas companies.