Aeroflot subsidiary Aurora Airline recorded a 68% increase in commuter flights in Russia’s Sakhalin region in the 2016 first half, to 49,188 passengers carried year-over-year (YOY), ATWonline reported.

Regional traffic in Primorsky Krai in the Far East grew 127% YOY to 11,825 passengers carried during the same period. Russia’s Far East-based airline operates Bombardier DHC-8 and Q400 service from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk (Sakhalin Island) to Shakhtersk, Okha, Kurilsk and Yuzhno-Kurilsk.

Aurora’s scheduled regional network in Primorsky Krai includes eight destinations from Vladivostok and Terney. The flights use DHC-6 Twin Otters and are subsidized by the regional government.

In the first half, Aurora carried a total of 607,040 passengers, up 19.9% YOY, placing the carrier in the top 10 of Russia’s biggest airlines. “We expect not less than 20% traffic growth in 2016,” Aurora CEO Konstantin Sukhorebrik said. 

Aurora’s fleet comprises more than 20 aircraft, including 10 Airbus A319s, as well as Bombardier Q400s, nine DHC-8s and two DHC-6 Twin Otters.