OREANDA-NEWS. April 25, 2011. UTair-Cargo has launched flight operations to the ice airstrip at the Barneo scientific base camp a part of an annual program of Arctic exploration. The flights are performed under contract with the Polyus Arctic and Antarctic Expedition Center and under the auspices of the Russian Geographical Society.

Members of the scientific expedition and freight are flown to the ice base camp on Spitsbergen Island with Antonov An-74 aircraft from the Norwegian town of Longyearbyen. The flight program was launched in late March and will continue until late April. To make flights to the North Pole UTair-Cargo crews have received special training for flights at high latitudes and landing operations on ice airstrips.

UTair-Cargo has been successfully operating on the air transport services market since 1997. The company's fleet consists of Antonov An-74, An-26 and AN-2 aircraft in different versions for passengers and cargo. UTair-Cargo specializes in charter freight and cargo flights in Russia and abroad and also operates regular passenger flights on regional routes.