AviaHelp proves it is the real deal

 Formed in 1997 with its head office in Moscow, AviaHelp was established to act as a provider of spare parts and service solutions for all modifications of Russian helicopters.

Today, the company also has a small office in Sharjah. But, while the office is small, the business is big, as regional representative Andrey Ulyashin explained.

“We’re based in Sharjah for the simple reason it is cheaper than Dubai or Abu Dhabi. We have an excellent track record in supplying spare parts for the Russian-built MI-17, MI-8, MI-171 and MI-172 helicopters and aircraft like the IL-76 from our own stock here in Sharjah, and we do this within the designated time period and close to budget.”

The sales office and warehouse is based in the SAIF-Zone free trade area and offers helicopter operators some key benefits.

“We have current spare part stocks in demand in SAIF-Zone with the possibility of urgent delivery from Moscow. We have almost 15 years’ experience in aircraft and helicopter spare parts supply, and strong business contacts with helicopter original equipment manufacturers,” said Ulyashin. “We are a just-in-time business, so we turn things around very quickly.”

The warehouse stock-list includes helicopter components and units for hydraulics, electromechanical, pneumatic systems, standard spare parts, and instruments.

Ulyashin said the biggest problem for the company is making sure the parts are authentic and not fake, which is a common problem for many spare parts providers.

“The prime concern of AviaHelp is to supply authentic spare parts to all our customers,” said Ulyashin.  “But as a company, we work closely with the OEM and have an agreement with them, and the OEM certifies every spare part it produces.  Even if we buy the overhaul spare parts we will always check it first with the OEM for authenticity. The OEM provides a delivery time and manufacturing price for the parts, so when it’s not available in stock in the UAE or Russia we turn to them for help.

“Authenticity is a primary issue for Russian Helicopters. A lot of countries, particularly African ones, look for cheap spare parts and don’t care about the history of the part – they just care about the price. That just isn’t an option for us as safety is paramount. It’s as simple as this; if it’s ok we sell it, if not, we don’t.”

The company also provides necessary spares for Western-built aircraft and their ground support, the most recent being Airbus and Boeing aircraft.

“We have recently started the supply of spare parts for Boeing and Airbus but Russian airlines are our target. In Russia you can find around 40 airlines operating different types of aircraft,” said Ulyashin.

“We are doing some work on the B737. We have EASA repair station certification but our capability list isn’t big. If we do elements on an aircraft, we do the air-con system and generator parts – so quite small.”

The company also does ground support equipment, mainly Russian made. These include; GPUs, ground power units, maintenance ladders, towing-bars, equipment for checking systems.

Ulyashin said the next step for the company is to look outside the Russian market.

“We have a sister company in the US searching for the spare parts to send to Russia,” said Ulyashin. “We will also focus on Africa. 

“Africa has a lot of countries that have been using Russian helicopters since the 1970s. Particular helicopters were designed for that particular region,” he explained. “We don’t have a facility out there at the moment as the infrastructure isn’t developed enough but we hope to search for the operators of Russian helicopters in the African region. Most of the Russian helicopters are in Sudan, Egypt, Algeria, Djibouti, and Congo. Africa is a closed continent – it’s quite hard communicating due to language barriers, but it is a region we are keeping an eye on.”