OREANDA-NEWS. UTair Aviation has signed a contract for cooperation with Russian Hockey Club Yugra to provide special flight arrangements for players travelling to game venues in the Continental Hockey League season. The agreement came into effect on January 1, 2014 and will last until the end of the current season.

UTair Aviation President Oleg Semenov emphasized UTair's long experience of collaboration with sports organizations. “We provide a full range air travel services to biathletes, basketball and soccer teams,” he said. “We take all the travel needs of athletes into consideration. The UTair route network and schedule match the Continental Hockey League event map and calendar perfectly.”

The parties defined their mutual interests during negotiations. “We are pleased to have UTair on the list of our partners,” said Yugra Director General Andrey Belmach. “We have a lot in common - UTair is one of the largest Russian airlines with an active presence in Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug and Yugra represents the region in the CHL. I'm confident our collaboration this season will be prolific and will result into a long-term partnership.”

UTair Aviation ranks among the top three Russian airlines. In 2012 UTair aircraft transported 8,582,681 passengers. The airline operates more than 150 fixed wing aircraft and performs flights to 110 destinations in Russia and aboard. The airline maintains its central hub at Vnukovo International Airport in Moscow, from which it performs 100 flights daily.