The fifth An-148-100 arrived in Irkutsk on December 29th 2014. The jet was handed over to Angara Airlines under a financial lease agreement with Sberbank Leasing Nord, the carrier’s press-service reports.
“We remind you that the first three An-148 jets were delivered to Angara Airlines in 2012; the fourth one – in October 2014. It was the first deliveries of new aircraft to Irkutsk Region in several decades. Today Angara Airlines is operating 5 state-of-the-art liners of the type,” said in the statement.
An-148 jets have proven their worth and demonstrated that they are well suited for operation in Siberia and Far East. “For example, An-148-100 version may be operated at low temperatures and high altitudes; the vehicle may also be operated from unpaved runways. Its passenger capacity is 75 persons,” the press-service explained.
According to the Angara Airlines Deputy CEO on An-148 operation, Konstantin Nesterenko, the fleet expansion allowed the carrier to expand its geography of flights. On January 5th 2015 the airline launched flights on routes Novosibirsk-Ufa, Ufa-Novosibirsk, Irkutsk-Krasnoyarsk, Krasnoyarsk-Mirniy; on January 6th the carrier opened flights on route Irkutsk-Polarniy.
Angara Airlines is one of the major carriers of the Siberian Federal District. It performs regular flights to cities of Irkutsk Region and other regions of Russia as well as charter flights.
