Russian operator KrasAvia has signed an agreement of intent with Russian Helicopters for the supply of 10 Mi-8AMT, Mi-8MTV-1 and Ka-62 rotorcraft.

The first two helicopters will be delivered by the end of this year. All vehicles will be handed over in stages until 2027.

KrasAvia Airlines currently operates a fleet of 20 Mi-8T/AMT/MTV helicopters, 16 of which are ageing Mi-8T types, and a fleet of ATR, Antonov Let and Yakovlev fixed wing types, performing passenger and cargo transportation in the Krasnoyarsk Territory. The helicopters of the company also perform sanitary missions, carry out rotational transportation and take part in extinguishing fires, patrolling, and SAR operations.

Negotiations on the renewal of the operator's helicopter fleet, as well as on the acquisition of a new domestic development, the Ka-62 helicopter, began at the MAKS-2019 air show. “Our helicopters operate in difficult conditions in the Far North, participating not only in the provision of social passenger transportation, but also in the development of the Arctic,” shares KrasAvia general director Andrey Egorov. “These tasks cannot be stopped or postponed indefinitely. That is why we did not stop working in this direction even in the difficult year of 2020 and came to the first important milestone; we decided on the quantity, modifications, possible delivery schedule and recorded this in an agreement with the supplier.”

Russian Helicopters general director Andrey Boginsky adds: “Replenishment of KrasAvia's fleet with new aircraft will help improve the transport accessibility to remote areas in one of the largest regions of Russia, especially in the Far North. KrasAvia will become one of the first operators of the Ka-62 helicopter, and I am sure that these modern aircraft will add flexibility to airlines in the performance of aviation work due to the optimal combination of payload, comfort, safety, flight range and speed.”

The Ka-62 helicopter has a MTOW of up to 6.8 tons and is capable of carrying 15 passengers. For luggage, a special compartment is provided in the aft fuselage. There is also the possibility of transporting goods inside the cabin and on an external sling. A feature of the helicopter is the extensive use of polymer composite materials in its design, which comprise up to 60 per cent of the aircraft mass. Another distinguishing feature of the Ka-62 is a single-rotor design with a tail rotor in the annular tail channel, the first time this has been used on helicopters in Russia. The aircraft is equipped with modern avionics, allowing it to fly in difficult conditions.

Mi-8AMT and Mi-8MTV-1 are multipurpose helicopters designed to solve a wide range of tasks including transportation of passengers and cargo, transportation of bulky cargo on an external sling, SAR ops, and evacuation of victims.