ATR42-300 turboprop aircraft are actually able to fly independently, but Utair used a Mi-26 helicopter to transport one that had been parked for many years. 

The reason for this is that the affected machine is not airworthy. But that did not prevent Utair from having them transported by a heavy-duty helicopter. He picked up the ATR42-300 at the Russian airport Roshchino and flew it to the Plekhanovo airfield, around seven kilometers away. The turboprop aircraft may never have been so slow in the air, because according to Utair the cruising speed was around 50 km / h.

Incidentally, the helicopter is part of the Russian carrier's fleet. This has numerous helicopters, which are mainly used in the heavy haulage sector. This enabled the airline to organize the special “ATR flight” with its own aircraft and its own staff.

The “flight” of the ATR42-300 is not an isolated incident and will not remain one. Before that, Utair used the same method to transport an Antonov 74. The company declares that at least one Yak-40 and one An-24 will also make such a trip. The reason for this is that the city of Tyumen is building an aviation museum and Utair is apparently very happy that some machines that have been standing around uselessly for many years and are no longer independently airworthy will have good use elsewhere as static displays.

Since 2008, Utair has no longer been using the ATR42-300 line-wise. The now decommissioned subsidiary Utair Ukraine was in the air a little longer with such turboprop aircraft. The ATRs were never entered in the Russian register, but in that of the Bermuda Islands. ATR celebrated its first entry in Russia just a few days ago, but KrasAvia is the premiere customer.