OREANDA-NEWS. December 12, 2007. UTair (UTair Aviation, JSC) held a presentation in New York on November 20, 2007 to mark the airline's 40th birthday and make an announcement of its international operating results for 2006, the company's press service informs.

Gathered to give their best wishes to UTair Aviation were representatives of the United Nations Secretariat, Russia's Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the UN Vitaly Churkin, Russian Consul General in New York Sergei Garmonin, Russian Trade Representative in Washington D.C. Andrei Dolgorukov, Helicopter Association International President Matthew Zuccaro, as well as heads of foreign UN missions: Ambassadors Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the UN from China, India, and Qatar, Slovakia's Consul General in New York, representatives of the Russian aviation community in the US, and UTair's partners from Russia, the US, and Canada. Russia's Permanent UN Representative Vitaly Churkin addressed the audience with a welcome speech, in which he stressed the importance of the airline's role in providing transportation services for the UN's peacekeeping missions. "By its many years on the international market, UTair Aviation confirms that Russia is capable of not only exporting oil, gas, and other raw materials, but also high technology and professional, in this case, aviation, services," Churkin stated.

UTair General Director Andrei Martirosov announced the company's 2006 operating results to the international community.

The airline has been providing air transportation services for peacekeeping missions since 1991, being the largest aviation service provider for the UN, with its contracts with the organization exceeding US$100m in 2006. More than 50 UTair helicopters took part in facilitating UN peacekeeping missions to Sierra Leone, Congo, Liberia, Haiti, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Sudan, and Cote d'Ivoire.

Russian Mil-family helicopters's performance qualities and the professionalism of UTair's pilots and specialists continue to gain upbeat reviews from international organizations.