OREANDA-NEWS  On 18 September was announced, that UTair (UTair Aviation, JSC) carried 2,258,050 passengers from January-August 2008, which is 16.2 percent higher than in the corresponding period of the previous year. In addition, the company made substantial advancements throughout the reporting period in other performance indicators as well. In particular, passenger traffic increased 15.2 percent.

The amount of mail carried by the airline's transport aircraft went up 20.5 percent in the first eight months of the year. UTair’s fleet logged 99,478 flight hours, an 18.4-percent rise from the previous year.

Helicopter flying time alone amounted to 48,761 hours, which is 12.3 percent greater than in January-August 2007.

According to UTair’s business plan, the company’s revenue will rise 55 percent in 2008 to RUB 33 billion (approx. USD 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 eleven foreign countries.

Detailed information are available here.