Russia's UTair has become the first Eurocopter training centre to be established without a shareholding stake by the manufacturer.

The company has a fleet including more than 250 helicopters, and these have included Eurocopter models since 2006. Last year the company's subsidiary UTair Engineering was approved as an official MRO centre for the AS350, AS355N and BO105 for O and I checks, and the company ordered 16 AS350 and four AS355 helicopters to supplement its fleet.

Now its personnel training centre in Tyumen, Russia, is approved for type rating training of pilots and mechanics on AS350 and AS355 helicopters in the Russian language. As part of the Eurocopter training network, the centre will benefit from programme updates, audits and Eurocopter's best training practices.