Bell Boosts Helicopter Sales and Deliveries in Russia

Bell Helicopter announced the signing of two new purchase agreements on the opening day of the JetExpo 2014 show. Two undisclosed Russian private customers each have signed for a Bell 407GX single-engined aircraft. The new contracts were announced on the same day as Bell delivered three other helicopters to Russian clients. A VIP-configured Bell 407GX and a Bell 429 twin have been delivered to two undisclosed private operators. Separately, Helidrive, which is one of Bell’s independent representatives in Russia, took delivery of a 407GX that will be used for emergency medical flights in St Petersburg and the surrounding Leningrad region. “The Bell 407GX and Bell 429 are our best selling models in Russia the Bell 429 is the most popular aircraft among all light twin engine helicopters in the country,” said Alexander Evdokimov, general director of Jet Transfer, which is another Bell independent representative in Russia. “We continue to grow the Bell 429 fleet, especially for VIP/corporate missions as well as special operations, HEMS and air taxi services.” Bell Helicopter also announced that the 429 has been approved by Russian aviation authorities to operate with a wheeled landing gear. At the JetExpo show, Bell Helicopter’s Textron Aviation parent company also displayed three fixed-wing aircraft: a Cessna Citation Sovereign, a Citation XLS+ and a Beechcraft King Air 350i twin turboprop. “Russia has long been a strong market for Beechcraft, Cessna and Hawker products,” said Tom Perry, Textron’s vice president for sales Europe. “With these industry-leading brands now operating together under Textron Aviation, we offer an ideal aircraft portfolio to support the expansion of business aviation in Russia.”