Ukraine leads bid to revitalize tattered CIS regional network
While the Russian regional airline system struggles to realize some semblance of Western-style development, the former Soviet satellite state of Ukraine ha

While the Russian regional airline system struggles to realize some semblance of Western-style development, the former Soviet satellite state of Ukraine has assumed a leading position in the fleet renovation efforts under way throughout the former Soviet Union. The reasons for the Ukraine’s relative success vary, but chief among them is improving access to capital just in time for the introduction of a new regional turboprop–the 52-seat Antonov An-140.

Until March last year, when Ukraine’s Odessa Airlines placed its first An-140 into scheduled service, regional airlines throughout the CIS had taken delivery of fewer than 20 airplanes since 1991. But since state-run leasing company UkrTransLizing took an active role in supporting the An-140 program, marketing activity has accelerated to a fever pitch by CIS standards.

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