Certification chaos: to save international contracts, the State Aviation Service corrects mistakes of past management

Ukraine found itself on the verge of losing strategically important international contracts that provide stable profits, foreign currency revenues to the state budget, and jobs. The reason was the decision of the former head of the State Aviation Service of Ukraine, Oleksandr Bilchuk, who changed the approach to supporting repair documentation for Mi-8MTV helicopters and introduced a limited format for airworthiness certificates, thereby creating a dangerous situation. UNN investigated why this happened, what threats it poses, and how the situation can be corrected.

Since 2024, the now-dismissed head of the State Aviation Service, Oleksandr Bilchuk, introduced the practice of mass issuance of “restricted SAS” certificates for Mi-8MTV helicopters. The issuance of such certificates eventually jeopardized the participation of Ukrainian helicopters in international operations.

The reason is that in global aviation practice, this format is used for aircraft that no longer have full support, those that operate until complete wear or a specific number of years before ceasing operation, but are temporarily allowed for limited operation under special safety requirements. Such certificates have never been considered an equivalent replacement for standard airworthiness documents required for regular or commercial operation of equipment in the international air environment. Moreover, they do not correspond to the actual status of Ukrainian Mi-8MTV helicopters.

During Bilchuk’s leadership of the State Aviation Service, “restricted SAS” began to be used as a full-fledged certificate for the entire line of Mi-8MTV helicopters, despite the fact that Ukrainian enterprises possess all the competencies to ensure a full cycle of technical maintenance and support of repair documentation.

Bilchuk’s decision led to a violation of established certification practices and effectively brought the equipment outside the accepted international aviation standards. In this form, the certificates are unacceptable for use in UN missions and do not meet ICAO requirements, which creates risks of review, and in some cases, a complete cessation of cooperation with Ukrainian operators.

Having discovered this, the acting head of the State Aviation Service, Daniil Menshikov, announced the start of comprehensive work on updating document DS-10 – a key regulatory act that defines the procedure for operating helicopters and aircraft of Soviet origin in Ukraine. As stated in the official statement of the regulator, the work on updating DS-10 is not formal but strategic in nature.

“The need to update DS-10 is due to the fact that certain decisions made by the previous leadership of the State Aviation Service of Ukraine led to deviations from national procedures for supporting and certifying Mi-8MTV helicopters. And also – to the application of restricted airworthiness certificates, provided for by the SAS procedure, introduced for aircraft involved in international missions.”

Therefore, the work is now focused on restoring transparent and understandable rules for documentation support and increasing the level of trust in the Ukrainian aviation system in the eyes of international partners. The regulator also emphasizes that flight safety and compliance with international requirements remain unconditional priorities, and all further changes will be public and transparent.

It should be noted that for the industry, this has not only technical but also serious economic consequences. After all, Mi-8MTV helicopters are a significant part of Ukraine’s engineering and production ecosystem. A whole industry has formed around their maintenance, including jobs at state and private enterprises, component production, logistics and IT services, taxes, and technologies.

In addition, international contracts have for many years provided stable income, which allowed aviation enterprises to invest in their own development, retain highly qualified specialists, and maintain the competitiveness of Ukrainian aviation in the global market.

The loss of international contracts would be a serious blow, especially in wartime conditions, when the aviation industry is already operating in extremely difficult conditions due to closed airspace and limited domestic development opportunities.

Given the consequences of departing from established practice, the new leadership of the State Aviation Service announced its intention to return to the logic of DS-10 – a document created to streamline the operation of Soviet-era equipment under Ukrainian jurisdiction. Its norms define who exactly should accompany repair documentation, how certification decisions are made, and how the continuity of technical support is ensured. The rejection of these established procedures caused chaos, which now needs to be quickly and systematically corrected.

Returning to full regulatory compliance and certification to international aviation standards is a key condition for preserving international contracts of Ukrainian aviation enterprises. This will determine not only the fate of individual contracts but also the future of the Ukrainian helicopter industry, its engineering school, and Ukraine’s position in the global aviation services market. In a situation where every job and every technological competence matters for the country’s defense capability, these decisions become a matter of not only economic but also national security.