Rustam Minnikhanov takes part in a solemn ceremony of handing in five new MI-8MTB-1 helicopters to operating organizations

On 11 March the Rais (Head) of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov , the Head of the Republic of Komi Vladimir Uyba, the Director General of the State Transport Leasing Company (STLC) Yevgeniy Ditrikh and the Director General of the Kazan Helicopter Plant Hikolay Yakovlev took part in a solemn ceremony of handing in symbolic keys from five new MI-8MTB-1 helicopters manufactured by the Kazan Plant to the State Transport Leasing Company.

Speaking at the ceremony, Rustam Minnihanov said: ”Today we are having the most important event. The Kazan Helicopter Plant and the State Transport Leasing Company are procuring 5 helicopters to operating organizations. It is one of the most mass produced, universal and reliable machines in the history of aviation which has been highly recommended for a broad range of tasks. We are grateful to the administration of the country for current programmes of supporting the domestic aircraft industry. By 2026 the Kazan Plant and the Leasing Company will have procured 70 new helicopters to various regions of Russia. It is a serious number practically comparable with the yearly production volume of the enterprise. This order is very important for us.”

The procured helicopters have new lighting equipment which makes it possible to have better orientations during take-off and landing on non-equipped grounds in the conditions of poor visibility, 23 passenger seats, prepared places for installation of medical modules and the possibility of mounting additional fuel tanks.

Multi-use MI-8MTB-1 helicopters have unique inflight and operational characteristics and can be used practically under any climatic conditions at a wide temperature range from minus to plus 50 degrees. The helicopters construction and equipment make it possible to fly using autonomous ground-based unequipped sites.

Four carriers got the helicopters, two of the aircraft going to the Komaviatrans Company fleet to be used at the Komi Territorial Emergency Medicine Center and for transportation services of the remote areas of the region.

“It is a very important event for Komi as the region has a vast area twice as big as that of Britain. We have many settlements which can be reached only by air and I am sure the new machines will not let us down and will work in our republic for many years,” the Head of the Komi Vladimir Uyba said.

The LEADER Airline from Moscow region, Dalrechensk Avia from the Far East and the Vityaz-Aero Airline from Kamchatka got one helicopter each.

The Director General of the Kazan Helicopter Plant Nikolay Yakovlev said: “We have procured five new helicopters to the Leasing Company by one of the on-going contracts. All aircraft are to be used by different airlines and can fulfill a wide range of tasks, first of all carrying passengers, including rigorous conditions of Northern regions and in the Far East. We continue modernization of MI-8 by installing modern onboard radio- and electrical equipment and take into consideration wishes of the oodering customers and operators.”

In his turn the Director General of the STLC Yevgeniy Ditrikh said: “Our Company is the largest ordering customer of civil helicopters in Russia and the largest ordering customer of the Kazan Helicopter Plant. We have placed a long-term order with the plant for 80 helicopters 40 of which will be passed to Russian airlines in 2024. According to the errands from the Russian President we facilitate fulfillment of the state order in aircraft building and the growth of air transportation.”