OREANDA-NEWS. Vostok Aviation, a part of the UTair Group, has launched operations with the first AS350 В3 helicopter in its fleet produced by Airbus Helicopters, formerly Eurocopter.

The helicopter operated its first commercial flight from Khabarovsk to Komsomolsk-on-Amur on a mission for Russia's largest oil and gas company. The AS350 also operates test flights to demonstrate to customers in the energy sector its operational characteristics and advantages. In particular, Vostok Aviation has demonstrated to its partners the high comfort level, broad field of vision and low noise level of the helicopter on a demonstration flight from Khabarovsk to Vladivostok.

Vostok Aviation plans to use the AS350 for VIP passenger transportation, surveillance and oil and gas pipeline inspection. Vostok Aviation also plans to cooperate with travel agencies to organize helicopter travel in the Khabarovsk region.

Six pilots, eight aircraft technicians and engineers have been trained at the UTair Training Center in Tyumen to facilitate the integration of this aircraft into the Vostok Aviation fleet. Four aircraft engineers were trained at Airbus Helicopters facilities and the Turbomeca Training Center.

Vostok Aviation was established in 1993 in Khabarovsk. The airline performs passenger aircraft transport in the Far East Federal District, shift-based helicopter transport to hard-to-reach areas of the Khabarovsk region, operations for the oil and gas industry, as well as Search and Rescue operations. Vostok Aviation operates Antonov Аn-28 and Аn-38-100 aircraft as well as different modifications of Mi-8 helicopters, and has extensive expertise in performing air transport activities in the Far East and other regions worldwide. Vostok Aviation's core activities also include supporting UN peacekeeping operations in Iraq, Mali, Congo and Haiti. Vostok Aviation joined UTair Group in 2011.

The UTair Group includes airlines conducting passenger and cargo operations with fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft as well as enterprises offering MRO, personnel training, flight services and air transportation sales services. UTair Aviation is the Group's core enterprise and includes UTair-Express, UTair-Ukraine, UTair-Cargo, UTair-Helicopter services, Turuhan Airlines, Vostok Airlines, Katekavia, Helisur, UTair Europe, UTair South Africa, UTair India, UTair-Technik, UTair-Engineering, Ural Aviation Services, UТair-TG, UTair-Armenia and other enterprises. UTair Group headquarters are located in Surgut, with subsidiaries in Surgut, Tyumen, Khanty-Mansyisk, Moscow and other cities in Russia and abroad.