The Russian air carrier UTair has taken delivery of its first ATR 72-500 aircraft, which is also the first one of this type to be operating in Russia. UTair and ATR recently announced an order for 20 aircraft, estimated at US $ 426 million. The remaining ATR 72-500 aircraft will be delivered in 2011 and 2012. The delivery of these new 70-seater aircraft will bring the number of ATR aircraft operated by UTair up to 37, making UTair the largest operator of ATR aircraft in Europe. With the entry into service of the 20 new ATR 72-500 aircraft, UTair will provide a higher number of seats on routes with increasing passenger demand. Today the UTair network of routes on which ATR aircraft are operating, includes nearly 40 Russian and international destinations. Its territory extends from the Baltic States to Eastern Siberia and from the far north of Russia to south Ukraine. With the acquisition of the new ATR aircraft, UTair is also significantly opening up its route network to access new areas both domestically and internationally. Currently the UTair fleet consists of nearly 200 aircraft, most of which run on domestic routes to roughly 300 destinations. UTair has been operating ATR aircraft since 2006, when the company brought the first ATR aircraft into operation in Russia.

Commenting on the order, Andrey Martirosov, UTair Chief Executive Officer, declares: “We are proud of the fact that we have brought the ATR 72-500 aircraft into operation in Russia and can provide our passengers with state-of-the-art comfort on these new aircraft. We will also be delighted to become the largest operator of ATR aircraft in Europe and one of the largest in the world. The new ATR 72-500 aircraft represents the optimum combination of the lowest operating cost and technical maintenance costs in regional aviation”.

Filippo Bagnato, Chief Executive Officer of ATR, declares: “Russia and the CIS countries are providing us strong commercial opportunities as they expand their regional connectivity. The delivery of UTair’s 20 ATR aircraft will clearly play a major role in reinforcing our market footprint in that region”.

About the ATR 72-500:

• Passenger capacity: 68-74 seats
• Engines: PW 127M
• Take-off power: 2,475 SHP per engine
• Maximum take-off weight: 22,800 kg
• Maximum payload: 7,000 kg
• Maximum range at full passenger capacity: 824 nautical miles

About UTair

UTair is an integrated air transport and aircraft services company with 40 years of experience on the Russian air transport market. UTair is focused on 3 strategic business segments: passenger transportation, helicopter operations and aviation services, including aircraft MRO, personnel training and catering services. Today, UTair operates the largest aircraft fleet and ranks among the top four largest carriers of CIS and Baltic States by passenger volume. UTair is the Russian market leader in helicopter services and the world leading company in terms of fleet capacity.