Aviakompaniya UTair : UTair Airlines Receives Sixth Airbus A321

UTair Aviation has received the sixth Airbus A321, in accordance with a contract for 20 such aircraft signed in 2012.

The new Airbus A321 is the second in the delivery and is equipped with new fuel-efficient Sharklet wing tips. UTair expects to receive 6 additional A321 aircraft by the end of 2014. The new 2.4 meter-high Sharklets are made from composite materials that enhance the aerodynamic properties of the aircraft, offering a 4% reduction in fuel consumption and reducing CO2 and NOx emissions. Moreover, Sharklets can increase the flight range and payload capacity.

Under the terms of the contract, the A321 aircraft also come equipped with CFM56-5B engines and single class configuration with a maximum capacity of 220 passengers. The aircraft cabins are fitted with modern ergonomic Pinnacle seats for passenger comfort.Each seat row has four sockets to charge mobile devices.

UTair plans to operate these aircraft on domestic and international routes with high passenger volumes from Moscow to St. Petersburg, Sochi, Novosibirsk, Tomsk, Omsk, Chelyabinsk, Heviz, Dushanbe, Tashkent and other destinations.

The UTair fleet renewal strategy for 2014 awaits the delivery of 22 new aircraft including Boeing 737-800, Boeing 737-900, Airbus A321 and SSJ-100. The new aircraft have been selected for features including cost efficiency, low fuel consumption and lower operating costs as well as reduced impact on the environment and increased levels of operational reliability and security. The arrival of the new aircraft and the decision to retire more than 50 aircraft of previous generations will bring the average age of aircraft used for regular traffic in the UTair fleet in 2014 to 8 years.

UTair Aviation is the core enterprise of UTair Group and consists of companies performing aircraft operations with fixed and rotary wing aircraft as well as enterprises offering MRO, personnel training, flight services and air transportation sales services. The Group includes UTair-Express, UTair-Ukraine, Turuhan Airlines, UTair-Helicopter services, Vostok Airlines, Helisur, UTair Europe, UTair South Africa and UTair India as well as UTair-Technik, UTair-Engineering and other enterprises. UTair Group headquarters are located in Surgut. The airline operates more than 160 fixed wing aircraft and 350 helicopters. In 2013 UTair aircraft transported 10,413,803 passengers, 10.96% more than in 2012. UTair Group passenger turnover demonstrated YoY growth of 15.7% in 2012 and achieved a combined 18,591,544,700 PKM. Group Helicopters' flight hours achieved 165,519 hours.

The A320 aircraft family, comprising the A318, A319, A320 and A321 models, is setting standards for cost-efficiency and comfort in the narrow-body aircraft segment. These aircraft have the widest cabin and the lowest fuel consumption in their class for passenger transport. To date, Airbus has sold over 9,600 A320 aircraft and delivered 5,600 A320 to 385 customers and operators worldwide. In addition, due to increased intervals between required maintenance operations, these aircraft offer operators the lowest operational costs for aircraft in their category.