OREANDA-NEWS. On April 06, 2007 a subsidiary of UTair (UTair Aviation, JSC), UTair Sierra Leone Ltd., has launched commercial flights in Sierra Leone. The airline’s headquarters and base airport are in the country’s capital, Freetown. UTair SL has been audited and certified in compliance with ICAO standards, reported the press-centre of  UTair.

In Sierra Leone, UTair operates four Mi-8 helicopters, with two of them continuing their cooperation with the UN mission, and the remaining two employed under commercial contracts with Inter City Airlines Ltd. UTair’s Mi-8 helicopters are to be used for passenger transportation and carrying cargo inside the cargo bay and on the external load sling. Maintenance and continuing the airworthiness of the aircraft involved in commercial operations are the responsibility of UTair South Africa. UTair is a global helicopter operator with a fleet of 180 helicopters, 60 of which are engaged under export contracts worldwide spanning a territory from North America to South Africa. In 2006, UTair launched helicopter services in Canada and Lebanon. The airline expects proceeds from helicopter services exports to rise 25 percent annually in 2006 and 2007.