Russia's UTair Aviation PJSC and Kazaviaspas, the sole operator of helicopter services in the Republic of Kazakhstan, has signed a memorandum of cooperation to develop a long-term partnership. JSC Kazaviaspas is the largest helicopter operator in Kazakhstan and performs all types of helicopter transportation for government agencies, organisations and the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Kazakhstan.

UTair plans to provide training and retraining of Kazaviaspas' flight personnel. Employees of the Kazakhstani helicopter operator will be able to access simulators for MI-26, MI-8T, Mi-8MTV and Mi-8AMT helicopters in UTair's centre for personnel training located in Tyumen.

In addition, in the interests of the Kazakh side, UTair will maintain and provide aviation services for the Mi-26, the world's largest helicopter. There are 26 such aircraft in the UTair fleet. Maintenance of Mi-17 helicopters will also be performed by UTair Engineering JSC at the request of Kazaviaspas.

“UTair is the largest helicopter operator in Russia and one of the leaders in the global helicopter business,” comments Alexander Stefanyuk, general director of UTair-Helicopter Services. “Cooperation with JSC Kazaviaspas opens up new opportunities for us in the aviation market of Kazakhstan. We are ready to share our experience in the maintenance and operation of Russian aircraft, as well as to help train engineering and flight personnel.”

Bolat Abaydildinov, general director of Kazaviaspas JSC of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Republic of Kazakhstan, adds: “We are glad to have business cooperation with our colleagues from Russia. Kazaviaspas, the sole operator of helicopter services in Kazakhstan, operates flights in the interests of government agencies and organisations. Partnership with UTair is a promising direction of development not only for our airline, but also for Kazakhstani aviation in general, allowing us to learn from its vast experience and move to a new level of improvement in the air transport sector.”