Skypro Helicopters, one of several companies operating under the Skypro brand, increased its Leonardo AW139 helicopter fleet to four aircraft this August, becoming the largest private operator of Leonardo AW139 helicopters in Russia. Manufactured in Italy, the eight seat helicopter joins two Russian-built AW139s based in Gorka and St Petersburg, and another manufactured in Italy and based in Gorka.

“This helicopter will be used for VIP operations and will be the fourth helicopter of this type in our company," says general director Petr Yablonskiy. “We benefit from a unified fleet and after several years of operation, the AW139 has proved itself to be a reliable helicopter for Russia.”

The AW139 is a twin-engine multi-purpose helicopter, equipped with a spacious cabin and luggage compartment and with ultra-low vibration and noise levels. It is equipped with shock-absorbing landing gear, fuselage and seats, and is said to be the only helicopter in its class with a full FIPS system which allows safe use in challenging weather conditions. The AW139 VIP version is the most popular helicopter in the corporate segment.

In 2018, Skypro Helicopters' technical centre was granted official status as an authorised centre for the maintenance of Leonardo helicopters, and the existing staff were supplemented by new highly qualified experts trained at the Leonardo academies in Italy and the United States.

Skypro Helicopters, in cooperation with Russian Pilatus sales centre Nesterov Aviation, is also actively developing an authorised service centre for Pilatus aircraft. Within the framework of the project, the company has already obtained the Russian certificate for line and base maintenance of Pilatus PC-12 aircraft; purchased a full range of necessary equipment; certified its own department for decoding and processing of flight data for this type of aircraft; and obtained a certificate of authorisation from Pilatus. At the moment, work is underway to prepare the company for certification to service the new flagship Pilatus PC-24.

Skypro Helicopters is among several companies operating under the Skypro brand, providing a range of aviation services on the Russian and European markets such as aircraft sales, charter flights, aviation consulting, operation and maintenance of airplanes and helicopters, aircraft management and ground handling services in the Moscow Aviation Hub. The company employs over 70 people and has offices in Moscow, St Petersburg and Riga.