UTair may stop operation of a third of helicopters

Airline «Utair» will be forced to stop up to 30% of its helicopter fleet in 2023, while maintaining problems with the supply of units and components. This was announced on May 18 by the CEO of the company Andrey Martirosov at the HeliRussia-2023 forum.

UTair Group includes one of the largest helicopter carriers in Russia – UTair Helicopter Services. The company’s fleet includes more than 320 helicopters, mainly of the Mil family (Mi-26, Mi-17, Mi-8T) and Airbus Helicopters.

“We are making a forecast for our fleet – if the situation does not change, then there will be a 30% stop [вертолетов]. I think the situation is no better for other operators, ”said Martirosov (quoted by Interfax). According to the top manager, the main problem is the lack of engines for foreign-made helicopters, as well as Russian ones, which are equipped with imported power plants. The Mi-8T is equipped with two TV2-117 gas turbine engines manufactured by UEC-Klimov (part of the Rostec United Engine Corporation), the Mi-26T is equipped with two D-136 engines manufactured by Motor Sich. Martirosov noted that delays in the supply of units and components lead to a decrease in flight time (the time that a helicopter spends in the air – Vedomosti) and the loss of revenue by the company.

In 2022, UTair Helicopter Services received a net loss under RAS of 869 million rubles. against a profit of 163 million rubles in 2021. The company’s revenue grew by 6% and amounted to 22.4 billion rubles. The main customers of the company are the largest fuel and energy companies. Helicopters «UTair» also work on orders from medical institutions, aviation forest protection enterprises and transport people from hard-to-reach and remote regions of Western Siberia.

A Vedomosti source in one of the helicopter operating airlines says that “there is no acute shortage of engines yet.” But it confirms the difficulties with the repair of power plants “against the background of the high workload of factories.” There is also the problem of increasing the assigned resource of Mi-8MTV helicopters by the developer, the source added.

Martirosov also criticized the decision of Russian Helicopters (the only holding company producing helicopters in the Russian Federation) to extend the service life of Mi-8 and Mi-26 helicopters. “Now the idea of ​​Russian Helicopters is to change their tail end beams when a certain flight time of the Mi-8 family is reached. That is, “Helicopters of Russia” as they think? If we put up such a protective barrier, then we will all stop flying on old helicopters and run to buy new ones, ”the top manager was indignant.

In September 2022, Chairman of the Board of the Helicopter Industry Association (AVI) Mikhail Kazachkov complained to Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin about the decision of Russian Helicopters to ban the operation of the Mi-8T and the world’s heaviest Mi-26T helicopter, which, as expected, caused a negative reaction from air carriers. They pointed out that the Mi-8Ts were still in demand, and it was too expensive to buy new ones and maintain them (Vedomosti wrote about this on September 28, 2022).

“The situation with a shortage of components, if it is necessary to fulfill production plans and also develop, is superimposed on the need to carry out import substitution – all this creates a lot of questions,” said Oleg Landin, Marketing and Business Development Director of Russian Helicopters, at the forum (quoted from “Interfax”).

The representative of the Ministry of Industry and Trade stated that the enterprises of the United Engine Corporation organized a program to master the mass production of domestic engines of the VK-2500 family to ensure the repair and maintenance of the helicopter fleet. “UEC-Klimov has reached the production capacity for the production of VK-2500 for the main line of helicopters: Mi-171A2, Mi-171 A3, Mi-8/17, Ka-32, completely from domestic components,” the source emphasized. According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, more than 500 TV3-117/VK-2500 engines are expected to be produced in 2023. “Enterprises of the aviation industry within the framework of import substitution programs are actively working to meet the demand for components and maintenance of helicopter equipment in the required volume,” the representative of the ministry added.

Vedomosti sent a request to Russian Helicopters, as well as to other helicopter operators.

In September 2022, Chairman of the Board of the Helicopter Industry Association (AVI) Mikhail Kazachkov complained to Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin about the decision of Russian Helicopters to ban the operation of the Mi-8T and the world’s heaviest Mi-26T helicopter, which, as expected, caused a negative reaction from air carriers. They pointed out that the Mi-8Ts were still in demand, and it was too expensive to buy new ones and maintain them (Vedomosti wrote about this on September 28, 2022).

Last year, Russian enterprises produced 185 civilian helicopters – 70% more than a year earlier (Vedomosti wrote about this on February 20). The Russian helicopter fleet numbers more than 2,000, most of them are older machines. Over 75% of domestically produced helicopters, according to AVI, have been in operation for more than 25 years.

Oleg Panteleev, Executive Director of Aviaport, confirmed that due to the large order of new helicopters, there are not enough engines for the secondary market now. But the severity of the problem is different – for different types of engines, Panteleev emphasized. “For example, the engine for the Mi-26 is produced only at the Motor Sich plant (located in the Zaporozhye region, does not deliver to Russia),” he said. Panteleev added that helicopter companies now have enough other problems: the increase in the cost of a flight hour, a shortage of personnel, increased competition with aircraft.

Fedor Borisov, chief expert of the HSE Institute for Transport Economics and Transport Policy, noted that if the scenario of stopping a third of the fleet comes true, then not only the company itself will suffer. Customers of helicopter services will also suffer losses – mining companies and residents of hard-to-reach regions, for which the cost of transportation will increase, he believes.