Russian Helicopters, together with Rosaviatsiya, has conducted the first stage of negotiations with representatives of the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) regarding validation of the Russian certificate for the Ansat helicopter in China.

Following the results of this meeting, the parties have determined steps to be taken. In the nearest future, the CAAC delegation is planning to visit Kazan Helicopters to find out more about manufacturing of Ansats.

The negotiations were conducted by members of the Kazan Helicopters working group, representatives of the Federal Air Transport Agency of the Russian Federation (Rosaviatsiya) and CAAC.

In accordance with agreements reached by the parties, the Chinese aviation authorities will start to review the evidentiary documentation submitted to them.

"This year, it is planned to deliver the first Ansat helicopters to China. These will be the helicopters with medical modules, but I can note that our Chinese partners are also interested in other modifications. Therefore, both we and our Chinese colleagues are going to work hard upon legitimation of Ansat in the Chinese market," said Andrey Boginsky, the Chief Executive Officer of Russian Helicopters.

Ansat is a light twin-engine multipurpose helicopter produced in lots by Kazan Helicopters. The helicopter modification with a medical module was certified in May 2015. It complies with all the international standards of ambulance aviation and allows saving human life during transportation. According to the certificate, the helicopter design allows transforming it into a freight or a passenger version suitable for transportation of up to 7 people.

The medical Ansat has a number of strong competitive advantages over equivalents in its class. First of all, it is the lower maintenance, training and repair cost. Moreover, the helicopter has the most spacious cabin in its class and can fly at high speed, which allows using it for long-distance flights.

In addition to China, Russian Helicopters is now negotiating the validation of the certificate for this type of helicopter in Brazil, Mexico and Canada.