Mi tired: 300 old helicopters may be grounded in the next five years
About 300 obsolete Mi-8 helicopters in Russia may be decommissioned in the next five years. It is impossible to extend their service life indefinitely, and airlines must upgrade their fleets. This issue was raised at a meeting of Russian Helicopters with carriers in November, Izvestia learned. At the end of 2025, two dozen old Mi-8TS were already denied service life extensions, and next year another 40 age-related machines may be on the hook. Airlines cannot quickly replace them with new ones due to reduced preferential leasing and insufficient production. The industry is asking for 5-10 years and preferential leasing in order to smoothly switch to new equipment.
Why are Mi-8T flights restricted?
It is impossible to prolong the operation of the old Mi-8 indefinitely, and airlines must update their fleets. This was stated by the head of Russian Helicopters (part of Rostec). Nikolai Kolesov told at a meeting with air carriers, Izvestia learned. These machines were produced back in the Soviet Union, their service life has already reached 40 years, so their technical resource is close to the limit.
About 300 old Mi-8 helicopters in Russia can be replaced in the next five years, a source close to their manufacturer told Izvestia.
"For the first time in four years, the management of Russian Helicopters has convened such a large meeting with aircraft operators and announced the need to upgrade helicopter fleets," Vadim Baldin, director of Helix Airlines, told Izvestia. — Carriers have been asked to prepare an economic calculation for the replacement of old boards with new ones.
A source close to one of the airlines told Izvestia that at the end of 2025, two dozen old Mi-8TS belonging to different operators had already been refused service life extensions. In the spring of 2026, 40 more helicopters may be put on the dock, and the same number next winter. This is quite a significant blow to the economy of carriers, which have invested in multimillion-dollar repairs of the sides, the source said.
Rostec told Izvestia that there are about 300 Mi-8 helicopters in operation in Russia today, manufactured before 1991. They repeatedly extend the possibility of operation, but this cannot be done indefinitely — there are flight safety requirements and federal aviation regulations.
The state corporation added that carriers that have entered the helicopter services market seriously and for a long time should think about updating their fleet. There are government support measures for this, such as preferential leasing programs, which really work, Rostec emphasized.
One of the reasons for the limited operation is the problem with the tail boom on the old Mi-8T, the Helicopter Industry Association (AVI) told Izvestia. Fatigue cracks may appear there. This malfunction is difficult to fix.
Meanwhile, the source believes that despite their age, the old helicopters are quite maintainable. After comprehensive fuselage assessments, the manufacturer usually extends the helicopter's service life by 2,000 flight hours, and engine inspections take place every 500 hours. Specialists have the opportunity to detect problems with the equipment in a timely manner, he noted.
Despite their age, many Soviet helicopters have not yet reached their maximum resource and the problem with the tail boom is far from evident on all sides, the Izvestia source added. On average, 40-year-old cars flew about 15 thousand hours, while their service limit was set by the manufacturer at 20 thousand. Therefore, they still have the potential to repair and extend their service life, he believes.
— The economy of air transportation is strongly tied to old helicopters, — said Vadim Baldin. — Depreciation charges on the Mi-8T are less than on the more modern Mi-8MTV, which is why the cost of a flight hour is 1.5–2 times less. This allows you to keep a low tariff for social transportation in Siberia, in the northern and eastern regions. If new Mi-8AMT leased helicopters are used on routes, the cost of an hour will double.
According to him, without the old Mi-8T, it is difficult to fulfill contracts for search and rescue operations of the State Corporation for the Organization of Air Traffic (GC ATM). They include low tariffs, which make the operation of new equipment economically unprofitable. If helicopters leased from the State Transport Leasing Company (STLC) are used there, the tariff should rise even more. However, the regions and the ATM Group of Companies are not yet ready for such an increase in prices for air transportation by helicopters, Vadim Baldin noted.
"There are difficulties in obtaining preferential leasing from STLC," he added. "Not every airline operating in the regions can get a new helicopter under state lease. The following year, its conditions became tougher, and no company is able to upgrade helicopter fleets only for its own money. To massively replace the old Mi-8TS, we need a comprehensive state program with targeted financing, government subsidies for transportation and economically reasonable tariffs for search and rescue services from the ATM Group of Companies.
According to a source in Izvestia, if the industry does not count 50-60 helicopters in 2026, which will not have their service life extended, this may create a shortage of equipment, gaps in social transportation and difficulties in fulfilling contracts with the Civil Aviation Group. Russian manufacturers give three dozen helicopters to airlines every year on preferential leases, and it will take ten years to replace the aging sides with new ones. It is necessary to change the Mi-8T to new ones gradually, over 5-10 years, in order to ensure a smooth transition to the new technology, he believes.
The Ministry of Industry and Trade told Izvestia that the capacity of Russian Helicopters is currently growing. Production is being retrofitted. This allows us to supply new machines. They have all the advantages of the previously released Mi-8, but at the same time they have new engines, avionics and other systems, which makes operation safer, more reliable and more comfortable.
However, it is certainly important to gradually replace decommissioned Mi-8s. This will ensure a seamless transition, preserving the transport accessibility of the regions and eliminating risks for passengers, the ministry noted.
Izvestia sent requests to the Federal Air Transport Agency, STLC, the Ministry of Finance, the ATM Group of Companies and the airline.
Will new helicopters be profitable?
Almost all carriers operate old helicopters, Andrey Patrakov, founder of the RunAvia flight safety service, told Izvestia. Dozens of aircraft serve in UTair, Yamal, Gazprom Avia and others. The Mi-8T is also used by small regional companies. For example, Helix Aero, Garnet and others have two or six sides each.
According to the expert, the cost of a flight hour for old Mi-8TS ranges from 250-320 thousand rubles, while for new Mi-8AMT modifications it is 400-500 thousand rubles. Therefore, when switching to new equipment, both tariffs for air work and commercial cargo transportation will rise, he noted.
"As for subsidized transportation on local lines, much depends on the solvency of the regions and municipalities ordering such flights," Oleg Panteleev, executive director of the Aviport agency, told Izvestia.
Conditionally, in the Krasnoyarsk Territory or Sakhalin, in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug and Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District, transportation on local air lines by new helicopters, taking into account lease payments, may be profitable, but in a number of other regions it is not.
However, if the supply of old helicopter technology in the air transportation and aviation operations market decreases, this will provoke more intensive operation of a younger fleet, which will improve the economy of carriers, he believes.
The success of updating the helicopter fleet depends on government support and leasing conditions.
"Preferential leasing rates were one of the main renewal tools, but given the budget deficit, the availability of this financial instrument is questionable," added Andrey Patrakov. — Without it, renewal is possible only for relatively rich airlines (for example, Gazprom Avia), which can attract financial resources not from the state budget.
Theoretically, if an operator has a stable revenue stream and decent profitability, the issue of gradual rejuvenation of the fleet through the purchase of equipment on credit can be considered. But today, at the current cost of borrowed funds, this is an unlikely scenario, Oleg Panteleev believes.
Therefore, from the point of view of transportation economics, preferential leasing is the most attractive and optimal financial instrument, he concluded.
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