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HELIEXPRESS is the brainchild of
the company Russian Helicopter
Systems Corp., which is handling
the logistical aspects. The operator UTair
is also helping to run the service, which has
been granted the necessary authorization
to perform commercial transport flights.
The standard service provides transport
between the four main airports in Moscow
and the major cities near the Russian
capital for both corporate and private passengers.
“Apart from a company director
who hired an aircraft for a whole day, our
first flights have lasted 15 to 30 minutes
on average, with three to four passengers
on board,” explains Mikhail Kazachkov,
president and CEO of Russian Helicopter
Systems Corp.
Two Ecureuils on Duty
Two Ecureuils perform the HELIEXPRESS
flights: A twinengine
AS355 N,
and a single-engine
AS350 B3 to provide
back-up if
two jobs come in
at once. Russian
regulations do not
require twin-engine aircraft or instrument
flight rules (IFR) for passenger transport in
and around Moscow, but HELIEXPRESS
prefers to use twin-engine aircraft, just
like in Europe, for this type of flight.
Over the long term, the company plans
to expand its fleet to around ten aircraft
and to increase its number of bases.
The company currently has two bases:
One at Vnukovo-3 airport and one at the
Crocus international exhibition center.
“It’s not always easy to find our place in the
air traffic around the major airports,” points
out Mikhail Kazachkov. “We never know
if we will be able to land exactly at our final
destination, and sometimes we’ve had to
wait for up to twenty minutes. But whenever
it’s possible we land right next to the terminal
buildings.” To avoid such delays in the future,
HELIEXPRESS is developing bases one or
two kilometers from the airports where the
helicopters can land and cars can then drive
passengers to the airport | 
