OREANDA-NEWS. October 9, 2012. UTair Aviation has made preparations to transport Muslim pilgrims from the Russian Republic of Ingushetia to the Islamic holy city of Medina in Saudi Arabia.

The airline has scheduled ten charter flights on a route between Magas and Medina with comfortable Boeing 737-800 aircraft. The flights to Medina will depart between October 9 and October 18 and flights to Magas will depart from Jeddah between November 1 and November 10. The airline estimates it will transport about 1,700 passengers.

To meet the needs of Muslim passengers making Hajj pilgrimage, the UTair Aviation has prepared a special catering menu and given special training to cabin crews serving on the special charter flights. All cabin crews serving the flights will be male. Flights to Medina have been scheduled at night to accommodate meals for passengers oberving dietary restrictions for the pilgrimage.

UTair Aviation ranks among the top three Russian airlines. In 2011 UTair aircraft transported 6,750,425 passengers. In January-June 2012 UTair Group serviced 40.9% more passengers than for the same period of 2011. In 2012 the airline expects an increased transport volume of up to 10 million passengers. The airline operates more than 200 fixed wing aircraft and performs flights to 110 destinations in Russia and aboard. The airline maintains its central hub at Vnukovo International Airport in Moscow, from which it performs 100 flights daily.