The Russian airline Utair has been in a permanent financial crisis for several years. Now one is considering fundamentally changing the business model and transforming itself into an ultra-lowcoster. Network boss Dmitry Belokon revealed this during a conference.

The carrier has been moving in this direction for some time, as tariffs have been introduced that do not include luggage. Ryanair and Wizzair also looked at the hand luggage model. As a result, only an extremely small bag is included and you have to pay extra for the IATA standard size. Paid catering is now also available in all economy tariffs.

Utair sees great potential for the planned business model. It is pointed out that Aeroflot has had good experiences with its subsidiary Pobeda. The competitor Ural Airlines also starts in this segment from the somewhat remote Moscow-Zhukovsky Airport. President Vladimir Putin had this airport, which has only been used for civil purposes again since 2006, explicitly expanded for low-cost and charter airlines. So far, however, the interest has been very narrow. That should change, however, because Russian low-cost trailers are to be settled here and carriers from other countries should be able to move from Vnukovo, Domodedovo and Sheremetyevo to cheaper fees.

“This is the path that we see for ourselves from a development perspective. And we are actively reviewing this business model, as we have already taken some steps towards a semi-low-cost model, ”said Belkon during the Russian aviation conference“ Wings of the Future ”.