OREANDA-NEWS. UTair South Africa, a part of UTair Group, has been registered as an official air service provider for the United Nations. The registration procedure was preceded by a successful technical audit of the airline for compliance with ICAO requirements and UN aeronautical standards.

Since 2004 UTair South Africa has rendered a complex of air services throughout African nations including support of governmental programs for firefighting and wildlife protection, construction and installation works, passenger and cargo transport, geological exploration, search and rescue operations and support for African Union peace-keeping operations. UTair SA helicopters have also been used in the context of firefighting contracts in Turkey and for accomplishing off-shore operations in India.

Over the last three years UTAir SA helicopters have successfully completed operations in Afghanistan in the role of lending logistic support to US civilian programs for peace keeping and stability in this country.

The UTair South Africa fleet includes 8 multi-purpose Mi-8MTB-1 transport helicopters. Flight personnel comprise 25 professionals, among them five Russian citizens. The airline has its own maintenance base certified by RSA aeronautic officials.

The certification of UTair South Africa as an official UN air service provider reveals the airline’s high level competitiveness on the international aviation market.

UTair South Africa was established in 2004 in order to expand UTair Aviation services to the African continent. Over the nine years of its existence, the airline has rendered air services in the South African Republic, Sierra Leone, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mozambique, Gabon and Sudan. In the last four years of operations, UTair South Africa helicopters have logged more than 4.000 hours in the air.

Today 33 flight engineering specialists work for UTair South Africa. The airline has invested USD 1.5 m in pilot training for South African citizens to support them with highly skilled jobs.