Operator | Airport | FBO | MRO | OEM | Charter | Interiors | Avionics | Training | Inflight

Mexico's Craft Avia Center, in cooperation with the Russian Helicopters holding company (part of Rostec State Corporation), is planning to open a technical maintenance center for Ansat civilian helicopters in the city of Guadalajara.

Negotiations were concluded during the recent FAMEX 2019 aerospace show at Santa Lucia Air Base close to Mexico’s capital, and the first Ansat helicopter will be delivered to Mexico for Craft Avia Center later this year. The center will start operations in 2020.

“We have long and successful relations of cooperation in the field of helicopter construction with our Mexican partners," said Viktor Kladov, Director for International Cooperation and Regional Policy of Rostec. "Around 50 Russian-made Mi-17 type helicopters are successfully operated here.

"Rostec is focused on both strengthening our cooperation with Mexico and developing long-term relations with the whole region of Latin America. Creating the maintenance center for Russian Ansat helicopter is a significant step forwards in this path.”

“I’m confident that the maintenance center will both strengthen and expand our cooperation in the field of aviation, as well as make the light Ansat helicopter more attractive to potential customers in both Mexico and Latin America in general.”

During 2014-2015, Russian Helicopters conducted successful overhauls of 19 helicopters operated by the Mexican Secretariat of National Defense. Currently the company is providing comprehensive after-sales support maintaining the whole fleet of Mi-17 helicopters operated in the territory of Mexico.

The light multi-purpose helicopter Ansat, which has the largest cabin within its class, is actively used by the Russian air medical services. This twin-engine helicopter has compact size and does not require a large landing area. It can also be used for normal passenger and VIP transport, cargo delivery and environmental monitoring. Ansat has been successfully tested for high-altitude operations, confirming that it can be used in mountainous areas with altitudes up to 3,500 meters.

The multi-purpose helicopter Mi-17-1V is one of the modifications of the Mi-17 type, designed by the Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant, a subsidiary of the Russian Helicopters holding company. Good performance characteristics, ease of operation and reliability have made these helicopters popular throughout the world. Mi-17-1V has a top speed of 250 km/h and maximum flight range of over 600 kilometers. It can carry up to 37 paratroopers. The civilian variant is widely used for cargo and passenger transport, firefighting and rescue operations.

BlueSky Business Aviation News | 2nd May 2019 | Issue #509

Share this article