OREANDA-NEWS. July 29, 2010. On July 26, 2010 a UTair Aviation Mil Mi-8MTV helicopter on a routine personnel transport flight from El-Fasher in Sudan to Abeche in Chad was detained by Sudanese authorities on the territory of Sudan. The rotary wing aircraft was operating under the auspices of the UN with four crew members and five passengers. The helicopter was detained after landing at an intermediate point in Sudan en route its final destination. No explanation for the detention was given.

On July 27, at 19:39 Moscow time, the helicopter and crew safely returned to the aircraft's permanent base in Niyala, Sudan. All crew and passengers were accounted for and no accounts of mistreatment have been reported. The helicopter was undamaged.

UN representatives are currently investigating the incident. UTair, in conjunction with the Russian Embassy and UN representatives in Sudan, is taking all the necessary steps to clarify the situation.

UTair has provided transportation support for United Nations peacekeeping missions since 1991 and is the largest provider of helicopter services to the UN. The airline has contracts for medical and emergency evacuation of the injured and sick, provides search and rescue operations and also conducts cargo, passenger and VIP-transport operations. In 2010 UTair has facilitated transport operations for UN peacekeeping missions in Sudan, Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cфte d'Ivoire, Liberia and Sierra Leone as well as in the territories of Nepal and Afghanistan. More than 250 highly qualified UTair specialists work in Sudan maintaining operations with 24 helicopters, including Mi-8T, Mi-8MTV, Mi-171/Mi-8AMT and Mi-26 models.