Regional airport in crisis as carrier's fleet slowly grounded in Udmurtia

Published: 1/24/2000

Ithevsk airport, south west of Perm, may soon lose all its flight business, according to media reports. IzhAvia, the only regional airline based in Udmurtia, is now down to one or two aircraft and seems unlikely to be able to keep even these flying much longer. The airport has been in steady decline over the last two years, having started and stopped the construction of an international terminal. It currently has only one flight to Moscow and it is rumoured that IzhAvia could cease flying this route as well. The company, which is 100% state-owned, still continues to advertise a number of destinations on its website. In October 1999, Udmurtia announced that the airline, along with a number of government entities was up for sale. To date, no buyers have been forthcoming. The airline is reported to have a reasonably sized, if grounded fleet, including four An-24s, three A-26s, four Tu-134s and one Yak-42.In 1998,it was also reported to be operating an An-74.

Article ID: 1345