OREANDA-NEWS. On 17 July 2008 was announced, that UTair (UTair Aviation, JSC) has boosted the number of ATR jets in its fleet to 14 aircraft. The company started using European jets in 2006 as part of the program to modernize its passenger aircraft fleet. Today, UTair’s regional flights are operated by 12 ATR-42 and 2 ATR-72 jets.

ATR jets rapidly became popular with the company’s passengers. From the start of their use, UTair’s ATR-42 and ATR-72 aircraft have carried more than 330,000 passengers and conducted over 10,000 flights.

ATR jets, known for their high levels of fuel efficiency and comfortable cabin, conduct more than 40 flights each day in Russia and abroad. You can spot ATR jets with UTair logo in over two dozen airports, anywhere from Irkutsk to Vilnius.

The use of ATR aircraft allows UTair Aviation to create the best structure of the regional jet fleet, which complies with the demand of the growing aviation services market, as well as to cut fuel costs, which ultimately makes the company more competitive on the aviation services market.

According to UTair’s business plan, 4 million passengers will be carried on passenger flights, with 600,000 passengers carried on regional flights in 2008; 20 new flight destinations will be introduced. The company’s ATR fleet will expand to 17 jets: 14 ATR-42 and 3 ATR-72.