Air Urga
| |||||||
| Founded | 21 August 1993 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fleet size | 8 | ||||||
| Destinations | regional charter | ||||||
| Headquarters | Kropyvnytskyi, Ukraine | ||||||
| Website | www.urga.com.ua | ||||||
URGA International Joint Stock Aviation Company (Ukr. Міжнародна акціонерна авіаційна компанія «УРГА»), branded as Air Urga, is a charter airline based in Kropyvnytskyi and Zhuliany, Ukraine.
History
The airline was established and started operations in August 1993. It was founded as International Joint Stock Aviation Company URGA, initially concentrating on charter flights. Regular passenger flights from Kyiv and Kryvyi Rih were added in May 1997. Air Urga is owned by the State Property Fund of Ukraine (51%) and American International Consulting Corp (43.5%). It has 378 employees.[2]
In 2014, the airline launched its first regular passenger flight - Kyiv-Lviv.[3]
As of May 2017, the number of destinations that the company can fly to has been significantly reduced due to being put on the EU's air safety blacklist along with 180 other airlines.[4] URGA will be unable to fly to EU destinations until these safety issues are addressed. However, as of May 2017, the airline was not operating any regular passenger flights.[5]
Destinations
Air Urga operates charter passenger and cargo flights from various Ukrainian airports to destinations in North Macedonia, Turkey, Syria, and United Arab Emirates. Its main base is the Kropyvnytskyi Airport (KGO).[2]
Fleet
Current fleet
As of December 2025, Air Urga operates the following aircraft:[6][7]
| Aircraft | In service | Orders | Passengers | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Y | Total | ||||
| Antonov An-26-100 | 1 | — | 40 | 40 | |
| Antonov An-26B-100 | 3 | — | — | — | Equipped for civil cargo operations with uprated AI-24VT engines, cargo doors and ramps.
|
| Saab 340B | 4 | — | 34 | 34 | |
| Total | 8 | 0 | |||
Former fleet
The airline formerly operated additional Antonov An-26 and Saab 340 aircraft, as well as an additional Cessna 172 aircraft for training purposes.
Incidents and accidents
- On 19 March 2000, an Antonov An-26 UR-26586 operating a United Nations flight crashed while landing at Goma International Airport in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.[8] The aircraft had encountered windshear and attempted a go-around, but slammed into the runway with its landing gear raised. The 10 crew and passengers of the aircraft were injured and the aircraft was destroyed.[9]
- On 29 July 2013, a Saab 340 UR-ARO operating a United Nations flight rolled off the runway while taking off at Lubumbashi International Airport in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as a result of the destruction of a propeller and engine. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair.[10]
- On 1 June 2023, a Saab 340 UR-ELZ operating a United Nations flight rolled off the runway while landing at Timbuktu Airport in Mali as a result of a thrust-reverser failure.[11] The aircraft was not damaged nor any crew or passengers injured.[12]
- On 10 February 2025, an Antonov An-26 UR-ELB operating a United Nations flight crashed into an embankment while on approach to Ndele Airport in the Central African Republic.[13][14] The aircraft was damaged beyond repair and several members of the crew were hospitalised.[15][16]
References
- ^ "IATA - Airline and Airport Code Search". iata.org. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
- ^ a b "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International. 2007-03-27. p. 68.
- ^ "Авиакомпания URGA - осваивает новые маршруты (АвиаПорт)". АвиаПорт.Ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2017-05-24.
- ^ "Ukraine's Aviation Company Urga put on EU air safety blacklist". News agency Vector News English. Retrieved 2017-05-18.
- ^ "УРГА". urga.com.ua. Retrieved 2017-05-24.
- ^ "Global Airline Guide 2025 - Air Urga". Airliner World. September 2025. p. 77.
- ^ "Airline URGA". Airline URGA. Retrieved 2025-12-29.
- ^ Ranter, Harro. "Accident Antonov An-26B UR-26586, Sunday 19 March 2000". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 2025-12-29.
- ^ "Crash of an Antonov AN-26B in Goma | Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives". www.baaa-acro.com. Retrieved 2025-12-29.
- ^ "Lubumbashi: un avion de la Monusco rate son décollage". Radio Okapi (in French). 2013-07-29. Retrieved 2025-12-29.
- ^ "Incident with SAAB-340B UR-ELZ occurred at Tombouctou airdrome (Republic of Mali)". NTIB. Retrieved 2025-12-29.
- ^ Ranter, Harro. "Runway excursion Incident Saab 340B UR-ELZ, Thursday 1 June 2023". mail.aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 2025-12-29.
- ^ Ranter, Harro. "Runway excursion Accident Antonov An-26B-100 UR-ELB, Monday 10 February 2025". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 2025-12-29.
- ^ "Accident with An-26B UR-ELB at Ndele airport (Central African Republic)". NTIB. Retrieved 2025-12-29.
- ^ Kum, Peter. "RCA - Accident d'avion à Ndélé : deux blessés". Alwihda Info - Actualités TCHAD, Afrique, International (in French). Retrieved 2025-12-29.
- ^ "UN an-26B/100 plane suffers damage while going off runway during landing". www.avionews.it. 2025-02-10. Retrieved 2025-12-29.
External links
Media related to Air Urga at Wikimedia Commons