Polar Airlines

Iata Code

PI

Polar Airlines logo (small)

Polar Airlines logo (large)

The government owned Polar Airlines is one of five Russian airlines to have been merged in 2022 to form Aurora, Russia’s single far eastern airline. Based in the eastern city of Yakutsk, it was founded in 1997 and serves domestic destinations including Aldan, Tiksi, Bratsk, Zyryanka, Chersky, Irkutsk and Chokurdakh, as well as western destinations such as Moscow and St Petersburg. Polar Airlines operates approximately 55 aircraft, all Russian models including Soviet-era Antonov An-24 and Antonov An-3T aircraft. Polar Airlines also owns 28 Soviet Mil Mi-8 helicopters, which are used for both scheduled and charter flights.

Polar Airlines has a somewhat questionable safety record, with a fatal accident reported in July 2013, which killed 22 people when a Mil Mi-8 crashed into a hill. Other incidents in 2003, 2005, 2012, 2013 and 2016 fortunately did not result in any fatalities.