Utair: aircraft and routesUtair: aircraft and routes

History and development

The origins of Utair are associated with the Tyumen Civil Aviation Authority, from which Tyumenaviatrans grew in the post-Soviet period. The name Utair came later when the carrier began to build a wider federal network.

The connection with Western Siberia remained after the brand change. Helicopter and technical directions developed near the passenger airline, so Utair is a group with several types of aviation work.

Air traffic in the region began long before the appearance of the brand: in 1934, a line opened from Tyumen through Tobolsk and Khanty-Mansiysk to the northern settlements. In 1967, the Tyumen Civil Aviation Authority was created, from which the carrier later grew.

Tyumen aviation developed together with the development of oil and gas regions of Western Siberia. In 1967, the unified management gathered several air units and squadrons; the aircraft connected the cities, and helicopters delivered people and goods to places where the airfield was not. In the post-Soviet period, this system turned into Tyumenaviatrans, then into the Utair group.

Unlike many passenger carriers, Utair grew out of an organization for which helicopters were as important as airplanes. Tyumen management provided the development of northern industrial areas, and its specialists mastered heavy vehicles of the Mi family. Later, the group worked under international contracts, including providing helicopter tasks for UN humanitarian missions.

Milestones

• 1934: An air line from Tyumen passed through Tobolsk and Khanty-Mansiysk to the northern cities.
• 1967: The Tyumen Civil Aviation Authority was created to serve the rapidly developing oil and gas region.
• 1991-2002: the company has gone from Tyumenaviatrans to Utair brand.
• 2005: A technical unit for aircraft maintenance appeared in the group.
• 2017: the group updated its corporate identity, keeping the aircraft and helicopter directions in operation.

Route networks

Utair is characterized by a combination of conventional passenger lines with the maintenance of areas where aviation is needed for everyday transport accessibility. The historical connection with Tyumen and Surgut is noticeable in the geography of the group.

Moscow Vnukovo provides communication with the federal network, and Tyumen and Surgut remain important regional nodes. In the North, an aircraft may be the fastest way to reach a remote city, while capital lines serve a more massive flow.

The name "Tyumenaviatrans" was received by the company in 1991, and Utair - in 2002. Expansion outside the Tyumen region went along with the preservation of northern routes, where air transport serves not only tourist or business demand.

The northern part of the network solves the problem of transport accessibility, which can not be estimated only by tourist indicators. Flights from Tyumen and Surgut connect the region with other cities, and Vnukovo gives access to wider Russian lines. For remote points, it is especially important to coordinate the departure time and the stability of the airport in difficult weather.

Aircraft and features

The group also works in helicopter aviation: its machines are used for transportation and production tasks in hard-to-reach areas. On air routes, mainline and regional types of aircraft are used.

Aircraft and helicopter activities solve different problems. The Boeing 737 is suitable for destinations between major airports, and regional aircraft and helicopters allow you to work on routes and sites with different infrastructure.

During the Soviet period, Tyumen aviators mastered helicopters of the Mi family, including the heavy Mi-26. In the modern group, helicopter work remains a separate direction next to passenger flights on Boeing 737 and regional aircraft.

The group has experience in helicopter work outside of ordinary passenger flights: transport tasks for enterprises, flights to hard-to-reach areas and sanitary aviation. For them, machines of the Mi family are used, and the aircraft airline solves another problem - transportation between airports. Therefore, the helicopter scale of Utair can not be estimated by one list of Boeing 737 and ATR 72.

The aircraft fleet and helicopter program have different ways of operation. The Boeing 737 is designed for relatively mass transportation between equipped airports; the ATR 72 is suitable for less busy regional lines. The helicopter can deliver people or cargo to the site without the usual runway, but its flight is planned according to different rules.