Rostransnadzor did not prohibit UTair from operating ATR-72 aircraft

Rostransnadzor has denied information about a ban on the operation of UTair ATR-72 aircraft. As Interfax was told by the department's press service, Rostransnadzor only issued an inspection order with a proposal to the airline to inspect the aircraft and make a decision on their further operation.

“An inspection order was issued to inspect ATR-72 aircraft with a proposal to suspend their operation until the reasons that led to the crash near Tyumen are established,” said a representative of Rostransnadzor.

He explained that to comply with the order, the airline can carry out scheduled inspections of ATR-72 aircraft without disrupting their flight schedule.

UTair Airlines previously reported that it had received orders from Rostransnadzor dated April 6 with proposals to make decisions on suspending flights of ATR-72 aircraft and introducing restrictions on the activities of the UTair-Tekhnik linear station in Vnukovo.

“Within three days from the moment of the incident, additions to the procedures for preparing aircraft for departure in conditions conducive to icing were developed and put into effect. In accordance with the newly introduced procedure, anti-icing treatment of UTair aircraft is carried out not after assessing the actual condition of the aircraft surfaces , as is provided for in civil aviation today, and in any case, in the presence of factors contributing to icing: temperature, the presence of visible moisture in the atmosphere, etc. The new rules of UTair, although they will entail additional costs for the company for de-icing treatment of aircraft, will sharply reduce risks of erroneous decisions when performing pre-flight procedures. Similar rules are being introduced at UTair-Technic LLC. Both companies are carrying out the necessary work with personnel,” the air carrier said in a statement.

Earlier it was reported that Rostransnadzor suspended UTair flights on ATR-72 aircraft until the reasons that led to the crash near Tyumen were established. However, a representative of UTair told Interfax that the carrier did not receive documents from Rostransnadzor about the suspension of operation of the ATR-72 and plans to continue operating the ATR-72-500 aircraft. Also, the general director of the company, Andrei Martirosov, said that the company had suspended the operation of ATR-72-200 aircraft.

Currently, UTair has 15 ATR-72-500 and two ATR-72-200 aircraft in its fleet.

The ATR-72 aircraft of UTair airlines, traveling on flight UTA-120 Tyumen-Surgut, crashed on the morning of April 2 during takeoff 2 km from the airport. There were 39 passengers and 4 crew members on board. 31 people died, including the entire crew.