OREANDA-NEWS. May 23, 2011. OJSC MMC Norilsk Nickel (hereinafter- MMC Norilsk Nickel, the Company or the Group) announces commencement of new regular flights of Taimyr corporate airlines (NordStar trademark) form Krasnoyarsk. Expanding the geographic span of flight routes is conducted in accordance with the airline communication development cooperation agreement concluded between MMC Norilsk Nickel and the government of Krasnoyarsk region, reported the press-centre of Norilsk Nickel.

The expansion of NordStar flight routes is carried out along two directions. Short-distance flights from Krasnoyarsk to the destinations within the region (Baikit, Vanavara, Igarka, Podkamennaya Tunguska, Severo-Yeniseisk, Turuhansk) as well as to Yekaterinburg, Irkutsk, Novosibirsk, Surgut, Tomsk, Ulan-Ude and Chita on four new ATR 42-500 turboprop aircrafts, manufactured by Franco-Italian group ATR.  

Mid-range passenger flights will be conducted using Boeing-737-800 NG type aircrafts flying from Krasnoyarsk to Anapa, Vladivostok, Krasnodar, Mineralnie Vody, St. Petersburg, Sochi, and Khabarovsk as well as to the following destinations outside the country: Dushanbe, Peking, Sanya, and Tashkent.   

The primary objective of Norilsk Nickel’s aviation project is to provide affordable and reliable air transportation services for the residents of Krasnoyarsk region. Project is aiming to provide passenger transportation between the center of the region and remote areas within the region, improving the transportation between Krasnoyarsk and other cities located both in Russia and abroad thus contributing to the accomplishment of social objectives in the area Group’s presence.  

According to Sergey Buzov- the deputy General Director, head of the transportation and logistics division at MMC Norilsk Nickel, Norilsk Nickel aims to fulfill its obligations with regards to creation of an airline company in the Krasnoyarsk region, announced in 2010.  We consider expansion of the flight route network to be primarily a social responsibility issue. All of the flights will be conducted using the aviation technology complying with the strictest standards of comfort, economy and safety while paying close attention to the specifics of operating under Siberian end extreme North conditions.