newstodate.aero

Sep 20, 2023 (newstodate): Member of Russia's Volga-Dnepr Group, Atran Airlines is returning to the skies after a prolonged break.
   The return of services is, however, a far cry from the carrier's performance prior to the outbreak of Russia's war on Ukraine and the subsequent sanctions regime imposed by Ukraine's allies.
   Atran is thus now again focusing on its AN-12 freighter that was phased out already in 2014 as the carrier turned instead to operating a growing fleet of Boeing 737 freighter aircraft on lease from Western companies - contracts that are now abrogated, leaving the Boeing fleet on the ground pending negotiations over an acquisition.
   Before Russia's war, Atran Airlines played a pivotal role in the e-commerce traffic at Latvia's Riga Airport, managed by the Lithuanian e-trade logistics provider Venipak.
   Starting from September 2021, Venipak offered a weekly Hong Kong-Riga-Hong Kong freighter service with a Boeing 737-800BCF operated by Atran Airlines, adding a second rotation on the route from October 27, 2021, and thus contributing significantly to a steep rise in the cargo volumes handled at Riga Airport.
   Now, with the rejuvenated AN-12 freighter, Atran Airlines is focusing instead on cargo flights serving Russia's northern regions.