Polar Airlines
Russian airline
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Polar Airlines (Russian: Полярные авиалинии, 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]
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| Founded | 1997 | ||||||
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| Operating bases | Yakutsk Airport[1] | ||||||
| Fleet size | 2 | ||||||
| Destinations | 20 | ||||||
| Parent company | Government owned | ||||||
| Headquarters | Yakutsk, Russia | ||||||
| Key people | Andrei Vasiliyevich Koryakin (General Director)[1] | ||||||
| Website | https://polar.aero/ | ||||||
History
Destinations
Polar Airlines operates scheduled flights to the following destinations (as of January 2013):[6]
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[update], Polar Airlines operates the following aircraft:[15]
| Aircraft | In fleet | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| De Havilland Canada DHC-8-Q300 | 2 | |
| Total | 2 |
As of July 2012 the Polar Airlines fleet included the following aircraft:[1][16]
| Aircraft type | Active | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Antonov An-2 | 5 | |
| Antonov An-3T | 5 | |
| Antonov An-24 | 6 | |
| Antonov An-26 | 3 | |
| Let L-410 | 4 | |
| Mil Mi-8 | 28 | |
| DA40NG Diamond Star | 2 | |
| Pilatus PC-6 Porter | 1 | |
