The Russian Helicopters holding closed a deal on Wednesday to sell 40 Mi-171s to Russia's UTair Airlines, a spokesman for the holding said.
"The contract terms involve the delivery of the entire batch of Mi-171 helicopters to the customer before the end of 2013," Russian Helicopters said in a statement.
UTair, a leading airline in Russia and former Soviet republics, presently has 50 Mi-171 helicopters in its fleet.
The Mi-171 is capable of transporting 37 passengers to a distance of 610 kilometers (380 miles) at a speed of 250 km/h. Its loading capacity is four tons.