Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, 16 November 2009 – Russian Helicopters, JSC, together with Airfreight Aviation Ltd., have established International RotorCraft Services, FZC. The opening ceremony was held on 16 November in Sharjah, the UAE. The newly-founded company will service Russian-made civil helicopters in countries of the Middle East, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

International RotorCraft Services, FZC, will carry out certified helicopter and units repairs, certified helicopter and units overhaul. The company will also supply spare parts from its depot in Sharjah and install additional equipment at the request of customers.

Within the joint venture with Airfreight Aviation Ltd., Russian Helicopters will be responsible for quality aftersale service of Russian-made helicopters in the region. In particular, Russian Helicopters will offer material and technical support to local operators, help the interaction of design engineers and dealers with operators, and build up a regional parts order and delivery IT network.

“Establishing a joint service company with Airfreight Aviation Ltd. is another step of the Russian Helicopters policy to cover the entire lifecycle instead of selling just the product. We think that a multi-level aftersale service network is the only way to reach our goals and increase presence on the global market.” Russian Helicopters CEO Andrei Shibitov stated.
“We are proud of our partnership with Russian Helicopters, one of the leaders on the global helicopter market,” said Airfreight Aviation Ltd. President Sergey Krapivtsev. “We are set to greatly increase the efficiency of Russian-made helicopter operations by local companies and will do our best to make sure the local fleet is ready to tackle any task, any time.”

Airfreight Aviation Ltd. is a Sharjah Airport Free Zone based, UAE, company providing Mi-8/17 repair renovation works, modifications & upgrades, components repair, spare parts supply, aircraft sales support. With many years of experience, the company also provides component sales and exchanges to support urgent requirements.
Russian Helicopters, JSC is an affiliated company of UIC Oboronprom. It is the managing body of the following helicopter industry enterprises: Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant, Kamov, Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant, Kazan Helicopters, Rostvertol, Progress Arsenyev Aviation Company, Kumertau Aviation Production Enterprise, Vpered Moscow Machine-Building Plant, Stupino Machine Production Plant, Reductor-PM and Helicopter Service Company (VSK).
UIC Oboronprom, JSC is a multi-profile industrial and investment group established in 2002. Its main tasks include helicopter engineering (Russian Helicopters managing company), engine-building (United Engine Industry Corporation managing company), air defense systems and complex electronic systems (Defense Systems holding company), and other machine-building activities. The companies of the group reported revenues of over 100 billion roubles in 2008.

Source: Russian Helicopters