About the Company

The year of establishment of the Private Joint Stock Company Aviation Company Ukrainian helicopters.

The year 2003 was significant for PJSC AC Ukrainian helicopters. The company received an Operator Certificate, allowing it to perform transportation services. That same year, the airline took to the skies with Mil-8MTV-1 helicopters after major repairs and modernization. The established aviation fleet was ready to commence operations in international missions.

PJSC AC Ukrainian helicopters began operations in international firefighting missions. The fires that broke out in the Portuguese mountains spread rapidly, threatening to engulf local residents' homes. In extinguishing the flames, four of our helicopters spent 510 hours in the air, dropping tons of water on the fire hotspots. The coordinated efforts of the crews received high praise from the National Fire Service and Civil Protection and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Portugal.

In 2005, nine helicopters from the PJSC AC Ukrainian helicopters were dispatched to Pakistan to assist local residents affected by one of the most devastating earthquakes in human history. Our crews evacuated the injured and delivered medicines and food to remote villages. During their operations, they transported 13,700 people and 4,600 tons of humanitarian cargo, spending 4,000 hours in the air. That same year, the company’s helicopters saved hundreds of hectares of forest in Türkiye from fire.

In 2006, PJSC AC Ukrainian helicopters began providing assistance to residents of East Africa affected by flooding and participated in rescue operations for civilians in Lebanon. Operating under challenging weather conditions, the company's pilots saved over 2,500 residents of Ethiopia, Somalia, and Kenya in three months of work. They also delivered 1,300 tons of humanitarian cargo to remote villages in these countries.
And by the end of the year, it began operations in West Africa, where several countries had been affected by floods. Six of our helicopters participated in disaster relief efforts to address the aftermath.

From February to April 2007, our helicopters continued humanitarian work in drought-affected countries in Africa (Kenya, Somalia, Ethiopia, Uganda, Mozambique). In April of the same year, the airline's pilots flew with humanitarian cargo to Madagascar, which had been struck by a powerful cyclone.
In the summer, the crews of PJSC AC Ukrainian helicopters fought wildfires in Ukraine and Türkiye, and by September, they began operations to support the peacekeeping mission in Haiti.

In the summer of 2008, a cyclone struck Myanmar, leaving over one and a half million residents without livelihoods or shelter. Two of our helicopters were dispatched to assist the affected, delivering tons of humanitarian cargo to remote regions of the country.
That same year, PJSC AC Ukrainian helicopters, at the request of the Canadian government, evacuated hundreds of people affected by the conflict in Lebanon and began operations in peacekeeping missions in the Republic of Sudan and the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire.

Continuation of operations in peacekeeping missions in the Republic of Sudan, the Republic of Haiti, and the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire.

The airline began operations to support the peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Flights were conducted under challenging high-altitude conditions, requiring special training for the pilots. That same year, an earthquake struck Haiti, and the airline's helicopter assisted in disaster relief efforts.
Additionally, the crews of PJSC AC Ukrainian helicopters participated in fire suppression operations in Ukraine on a charitable basis. As a result of their coordinated efforts, hundreds of hectares of forest were saved from fire.

Our helicopters contributed to the disaster relief efforts in response to drought as part of a humanitarian operation in the Republic of South Sudan. Over sixteen months of work, Ukrainian aircraft evacuated more than 9,200 local residents affected by the disaster and delivered 3,550 tons of humanitarian cargo to remote villages. That same year, “Ukrainian Helicopters” became a member of the Helicopter Association International (HAI). Additionally, a program for deep modernization of helicopters was launched, resulting in the introduction of a helicopter named “Air Transformer”, thanks to its rapid reconfiguration capability.

In March 2014, the airline's helicopter joined the efforts of a humanitarian operation in Ethiopia. During its time in the country, the crews of PJSC AC Ukrainian helicopters transported over 7,300 refugees. Additionally, the aircraft delivered more than 50 tons of humanitarian cargo to remote settlements, spending 650 hours in the air.
That same year, PJSC AC Ukrainian helicopters became a member of the International Stability Operations Association (ISOA).

Operations began in a peacekeeping mission in Somalia. It was in this country that Ukrainian helicopter pilots started conducting night flights. Utilizing an integrated night vision system, the crews of PJSC AC Ukrainian helicopters transported over 4,100 passengers, delivered more than 190 tons of cargo, and spent 1,195 hours in the air during the first six months.

Given the positive experience in Somalia, the airline was offered another contract for providing aeromedical evacuation directly from the incident site and conducting search and rescue operations in the Republic of Mali. A unique aspect of the work in Mali was the comprehensive provision of a full spectrum of support from the airline, including medical equipment and personnel from the aeromedical evacuation teams.
In July 2016, the Ukrainian Helicopters participated in the international aviation exhibition “Farnborough International Airshow 2016” where a multifunctional helicopter-transformer designed to perform search and rescue missions day and night was presented.

Continuation of operations in peacekeeping missions in the Republic of Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of Somalia, and the Republic of Mali, as well as in the humanitarian mission in South Sudan.

The airline is also prepared for challenging missions such as the evacuation/transportation of patients with highly dangerous infections. For this purpose, the helicopter is equipped with isolation capsules for transporting patients, as well as a set of equipment for disinfecting and isolating the means of transport used for the patients. Our crews successfully supported the efforts of international organizations to combat the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2018-2019.
PJSC AC Ukrainian helicopters began operations in a peacekeeping mission in Djibouti and has since provided aeromedical evacuation and search and rescue operations in the region.

Based on the Personnel Training Department, which existed as a structural division of the airline, a Helicopter Training Center was established. It is the only center specializing in the training and retraining of aviation personnel for flights, particularly using night vision systems on Mil-8/17 helicopters. Additionally, search and rescue support is provided (24/7) in Mali.

From 2020 to 2021, the airline provided personnel transport services for a mining company engaged in mineral extraction in Burkina Faso. In the same year, a concept for modernizing Mil-8MTV-1 helicopters for nighttime firefighting was developed.
Since July 2020, a specialized helicopter from the airline has been deployed to combat the spread of the COVID-19 virus in the Central African Republic.

In the summer of 2021, PJSC AC Ukrainian helicopters participated in a humanitarian mission to extinguish large-scale wildfires in Türkiye. Four of the airline's helicopters were engaged in nighttime firefighting operations in mountainous areas. This type of operation was conducted in Europe for the first time and demonstrated high effectiveness and efficiency.

The fleet of specialized helicopters with an integrated night vision imaging system operating in the Republic of Mali was expanded by three helicopters. The additional helicopters are fully equipped to carry out search and rescue missions both during the day and at night.

To date, the PJSC AC Ukrainian helicopters has been conducting the most complex operations in field missions around the world.