OREANDA-NEWS. On 17 July 2008 was announced, that UTair (UTair Aviation, JSC)carried 1,514,450 passengers in January-June 2008, which is 20.7 percent higher than in the corresponding period a year earlier. In addition, the company also made substantial advances in other performance indicators over the reporting period. In particular, passenger traffic went up 19.7 percent.

The amount of mail carried by the airline's transport aircraft increased 35.1 percent in the first six months of the year.

UTair’s fleet logged 70,048 flight hours, a 22.4-percent rise from the previous year. Helicopter flying time alone amounted to 31,671 hours, which is 13.7 percent greater than in January-June 2007.

According to UTair’s business plan, the company’s revenue will rise 55 percent in 2008 to RUB 33 billion (approx. \\$1.4bn). Its planes and helicopters will spend 240,000 hours in the air, carrying 4 million passengers. In addition, twenty new flight routes will be introduced. Helicopter operations will be carried out in Russia and in eleven foreign countries.