UTair Aviation took delivery of the first Boeing 737-800 NG aircraft in the network of the contract for delivery of 40 jets of the type signed in 2011. The solemn handover ceremony was held at the Boeing’s facility in Seattle, the carrier’s press-service reports.

"40 Boeing 737-800 NG and 737-900 NG aircraft will be delivered to UTair Aviation by 2018. All these jets are powered by CFM56-5B engines and have a single-class cabin layout seating 170 (737-800) or 220 (737-900) passengers. The aircraft’s cabin is fitted with state-of-the-art Pinnacle seats manufactured by B/E Aerospace, INC. The weight of such seat was reduced by 15% as compared to other models thanks to usage of composites. This fact helps decrease the base weight of the aircraft, expand the legroom and decrease operational costs", - said in the UTair’s statement. 

«Next Generation 737 aircraft meets all the requirements of our airline due to its great performance, reasonable cost, high quality and the possibility of delivery in a relatively short time. We have been successfully operating the jets of this type and the new aircraft will allow us to continue expansion of our route network in the most cost-efficient way. They will also increase our airline’s customer appeal», - Andrey Martirosov, CEO of UTair Aviation, said. 

UTair is already operating 52 Boeing 737 jets, including 12 В737-800s. Besides the contract for delivery of 40 737NG aircraft, the carrier will take delivery of 20 Airbus A321 jets by 2016 (three of them have already been put into service during a period from July to October 2013). The deliveries of Sukhoi Superjet 100 LR jets to UTair will be started in 2014. The implementation of this fleet renewal program will allow UTair to operate the youngest and most advanced fleet in Russia by 2020, the airline noted.