New MRO center for Bell's Russian operators

Bell Helicopter announced on September 11 at JetExpo 2015 that its Customization and Delivery Center, located at Prague's Vaclav Havel Airport in the Czech Republic, had obtained Russian Civil Aviation Authority certification enabling it to provide the entire spectrum of MRO services on Russian-registered Bell Helicopter aircraft of all existing types. Sergey Filatov, Bell Helicopter Regional Director for Russia and the CIS, commented that the company's Russian clients may now choose between Prague and the Russian authorized maintenance centers in Kazan and St. Petersburg. According to Filatov, the Prague center also specializes in the customization and delivery of Bell helicopters destined for Russian customers. Around 60 Bell Helicopter aircraft are currently operated in Russia, and their numbers are set to grow: also on September 11, the manufacturer is expected to announce two new contracts here at JetExpo, for a total of five Bell 505 light helicopters. Filatov says Russian customers have ordered around 10 of the type to date.