OREANDA-NEWS. Vostok Airlines, part of the UTair Group, celebrates the 70th anniversary of its founding. In his congratulatory address, Vostok Airlines General Director Alexander Tkach thanked Vostok Airlines employees for a significant leap in operating performance. Between 2011 and 2014 Vostok Airlines revenue grew by 50%, amounting to 1.8 billion rubles in 2014, while the number of logged flight hours increased by 47% and totaled at 15,000 hours in 2014.

Vostok Airlines has historically been a provider of air transport services in the northern and remote areas of the Khabarovsk region, performing contract flights for the Khabarovsk Territorial Center of Medical Emergencies, the Electoral Commission and various geological research expeditions and ecological projects. In addition to performing socially important aviation tasks, the airline is involved in the construction of oil and gas pipelines and has years of experience participating in the largest projects related to the exploration of the Sakhalin shelf. Vostok Airlines is a partner of Exxon Neftegas Limited, Dalspetsstroy, RZD, Transneft, Gazprom, Polymetal and British Petroleum.

In addition to its dynamic activity in the Khabarovsk, Primorsk, Amur, Magadan and Sakha regions, Vostok Airlines also performs flight operations in African and Caribbean states. At present Vostok Airlines performs flights for peacekeeping missions in Congo, Mali, Somalia and Haiti. In the past Vostok Airlines aircraft were for a long time engaged in flight operations in East Timor, Malaysia, Vietnam and Iraq. Vostok Airlines compliance with strict international requirements is confirmed by its successful registration in Helicopter Association International (HAI), International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), United Nations World Food Program (UN WFP) and by its status as an official UN service provider.

The history of Vostok Airlines dates back to 1945 when the Special Designation Air Squadron №264 was established. Today the airline operates six An­-28s and three An-38-100 aircraft, 11 Mi-8T, nine Mi-8MTV and one Mi-8AMT rotorcraft and one AS350 helicopter. Alexander Tkach mentioned that 550 professionals of Vostok Airlines flight, technical and administrational personnel ensure the airline's high performance in aviation operations that is particularly valued by Vostok Airlines customers. He emphasized that the commendable flight operations and revenue performance for 2014 and the 2015 order portfolio for flight operations both in Russia and abroad support a confident outlook for the company's future.

Vostok Airlines is a subsidiary of UTair Group, one of the largest aviation groups in Russia. UTair Group consists of companies performing aircraft operations with fixed and rotary wing aircraft as well as enterprises offering MRO, personnel training, flight services and air transportation sales services. UTair Aviation, the core enterprise of UTair Group, has its hub in Vnukovo International Airport in Moscow. The Group also includes UTair-Express, UTair – Helicopter Services, Turuhan, Helisur, UTair Europe, UTair South Africa, UTair India, TS-Technik, UTair-Engineering, Ural Aviation Services, Katekavia, UTG and other enterprises.

In 2014 UTair Group aircraft transported 11,204,598 passengers. UTair Group employs some 14,000 people. UTair Group headquarters are located in Surgut.