BrandWikiReturn

Polar Airlines

Polar Airlines (, Poljarnýe avialinii) is an airline based in Yakutsk, Sakha Republic, Russia. It operates scheduled and charter passenger and cargo services.[2] In 2022, it became part of Russia's single far-eastern airline, along with four other airlines.[3][4] It is currently banned from flying in the EU.[5]

History

The airline began operations in 1997. It was formed from the Batagai, Kolyma-Indigirka, Chukordakh and Tiksi sub-divisions of Aeroflot.[2]

Destinations

Polar Airlines operates scheduled flights to the following destinations (as of January 2013):[6]

  • 🇷🇺 Russia
  • Aldan – Aldan Airport
  • Bratsk – Bratsk Airport
  • Chersky – Chersky Airport
  • Chokurdakh – Chokurdakh Airport
  • Irkutsk – International Airport Irkutsk
  • Lensk – Lensk Airport
  • Neryungri – Chulman Airport
  • Tiksi – Tiksi Airport
  • Yakutsk – Yakutsk Airport
  • Zyryanka – Zyryanka Airport

Accidents and incidents

  • May 16, 2003: Antonov An-3T RA-05881 force-landed 28 mi from Sangara due to engine failure caused by bad weather; all 13 on board survived, but the aircraft was written off.[7]
  • November 18, 2005: Antonov An-2TP RA-02252 crashed on a mountain 19 mi from Sangar in bad weather; all 12 on board survived, but the aircraft was written off.[8]
  • November 21, 2012: Flight 227 (performed by Antonov An-26 RA-26061) from Yakutsk to Deputatsky overshot the runway on landing by 70 metres. The airline reported an icy runway as the cause. The plane received substantial damage[9] but no injuries were reported.[10]
  • July 2, 2013: Flight 9949, a Mil Mi-8 (registration RA-22657) crashed into a hill top 66 km from Deputatsky in the Sakha Republic. 19 of the 25 passengers and 3 crew were killed; of these deaths, several children were involved. 11 of the 25 passengers were children. A post-crash fire consumed the aircraft.[11][12] This was the first fatal accident for the airline.
  • August 16, 2013: Flight 9977, an Antonov An-2TP (registration RA-01419), made a forced landing near Vilyuisk following an unexplained engine problem; all 11 on board survived, but the aircraft was destroyed by a post-crash fire.[13]
  • October 11, 2016: Flight 203, an Antonov An-26 RA-26660 landed short of the runway at Belaya Gora Airport. The aircraft was severely damaged. All 33 people on board survived.[14]

Fleet

Current fleet

As of August 2025, Polar Airlines operates the following aircraft:[15]

As of July 2012 the Polar Airlines fleet included the following aircraft:[1][16]

External links

References

  1. Federal State Unitary Enterprise "State Air Traffic Management Corporation", Airline Reference, Vol. 1, Russian Federation, 27 April 2007, p. 351^
  2. Directory: World Airlines Flight International, 2007-04-10^
  3. О компании – «ЧукотАвиа» chukotavia.com, retrieved 2022-12-06^
  4. Авиакомпании Дальнего Востока перейдут на единый бренд РБК, 6 December 2022, retrieved 2022-12-06^
  5. The EU Air Safety List – European Commission transport.ec.europa.eu, retrieved 2025-02-07^
  6. Карта полетов Полярные Авиалинии, retrieved 2020-11-10^
  7. {{ASN accident|title= RA-05881|id= 20030516-1|accessdate= 2 July 2013}}^
  8. {{ASN accident|title= RA-02252|id= 20051118-0|accessdate= 2 July 2013}}^
  9. Archived copy retrieved 2012-11-22^
  10. Accident: Polar AN26 at Deputatsky on Nov 21st 2012, overran runway avherald.com, retrieved 2020-11-10^
  11. Children die in air crash in Russia's Sakha Republic BBC News, 2013-07-02, retrieved 2020-11-10^
  12. 19 people die in Russian helicopter crash: official NDTV.com, retrieved 2020-11-10^
  13. {{ASN accident|title= RA-041419|id= 20130816-0|accessdate= 2015-3-27}}^
  14. ASN Aircraft accident Antonov An-26-100 RA-26660 Belaya Gora Airport (BGN) aviation-safety.net, retrieved 2020-11-10^
  15. Global Airline Guide 2025 – Polar Airlines Airliner World, September 2025^
  16. Polar Airlines fleet^