Aurora (airline)
Russian airline
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Aurora (Russian: Аврора) is a Russian airline headquartered in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Sakhalin Oblast.[2] It operates domestic flights in the Russian Far East region and international flights to and from destinations in China. It is named after the Russian cruiser Aurora.[3][4] As of June 2025[update], the airline is banned from flying into the EU like all other Russian airlines.[5]
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 Aurora Airbus A319-100 | |||||||
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| Founded | November 2013 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commenced operations | 8 December 2013 | ||||||
| Operating bases | |||||||
| Hubs | |||||||
| Fleet size | 19 | ||||||
| Destinations | 32[1] | ||||||
| Parent company | Sakhalin Region Development Corporation | ||||||
| Headquarters | Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Russia | ||||||
| Key people |
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| Website | flyaurora | ||||||
History
Aurora was created by government order of Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev in September 2013.[4][6][7] Originally called Taiga, it combined Vladivostok Air and SAT Airlines.[6][7] SAT Airlines and Vladivostok Air served 42 and 15 destinations respectively, and had a combined fleet of 24 fixed-wing aircraft, along with 11 helicopters.[4]
Aurora began operations on 8 December 2013 serving the Khabarovsk – Krasnoyarsk-Yemelyanovo route.[8][9][10][11] The carrier's first aircraft was an Airbus A319-100, with a new aircraft livery.[12] In December 2015, the airline received the first of three Bombardier Q400 aircraft it had on order.[13]
Aurora was 51%-owned by Aeroflot, with the regional government of Sakhalin Oblast holding the balance.[4][14] An initial investment of RUB 430 million was provided by Aeroflot through a loan.[15] In December 2020, Aeroflot sold its 51% stake in Aurora to Sakhalin Region Development Corporation for ₽1.[16][17] In 2022, Aurora was merged with five Russian regional airlines, Khabarovsk Airlines, Chukotavia, Kamchatka Air Enterprise, Yakutia Airlines, and Polar Airlines, to create a single far-eastern airline for Russia.[18]
Key people
Destinations
The airline serves[when?] two countries on 41 routes.[1][20]
As of April 2024[update], Aurora flies internationally from its three bases located in Khabarovsk, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and Vladivostok. The international network includes Beijing-Daxing,[21] Harbin[22] and Shanghai-Pudong[23] airports in China.
| Country | City | Airport | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Russia | Khabarovsk | Khabarovsk Novy Airport | Hub |
| Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk | Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk Airport | Hub | |
| Vladivostok | Vladivostok International Airport | Hub | |
| China | Beijing | Beijing Daxing International Airport | |
| Harbin | Harbin Taiping International Airport | ||
| Shanghai | Shanghai Pudong International Airport |
Codeshare agreements
Aurora has codeshare agreements with the following airlines:
Fleet
Current fleet
As of August 2025[update], Aurora operates the following aircraft:[28]
| Aircraft | In service | Orders | Passengers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A319-100 | 8 | — | 128 | |
| Bombardier Dash 8-200 | 2 | — | 37 | Used on charter flights. |
| Bombardier Dash 8-300 | 1 | — | 50 | |
| Bombardier Dash 8-400 | 5 | — | 70 | |
| de Havilland Canada DHC-6-400 | 3 | — | 19 | |
| Ilyushin Il-114 | — | 19[citation needed] | TBA | |
| Yakovlev SJ-100-95 | — | 8 | 87 | To be delivered in 2026.[citation needed] |
| Yakovlev MC-21-310 | — | 10[29] | TBA | To be delivered from late 2027 to 2030.[29] |
| Total | 19 | 37 | ||
Former fleet
Aurora previously operated the following aircraft:[30]
