IrAero: The Siberian Regional Network, from Historic Antonovs to Superjets

History and positioning

Created to serve Siberia and the Russian Far East, IrAero stands out for keeping Soviet-era Antonov aircraft in service well into the 2020s, a sign of how much some remote communities still depend on these aircraft, while the airline is also investing in more modern regional jets.

The fleet

The fleet numbers about 32 aircraft, sharply divided between the historic Antonov An-24RV and An-26-100 turboprops (14 and 13 units respectively) still dedicated to the most remote communities, a single Airbus A319 and one Bombardier CRJ200LR, and seven Sukhoi Superjet 100-95LR aircraft. The airline is also the launch customer for ten Irkut MC-21-300 jets on order, with delivery slipping by years from the original 2019 target.

Routes and network

It serves about 60 destinations from the hubs of Irkutsk, Yakutsk, Magadan and Moscow, continuing to add links in 2025, including new routes to Sochi with the Superjet and international additions such as a seasonal Saratov-Istanbul link and a Blagoveshchensk-Beijing route planned from December 2025.

What passengers say

The clearest signal about IrAero is not a review score but its route map itself: an airline that still relies on decades-old Antonov turboprops for some of Russia's most remote routes says more about its infrastructure role than any star rating, with the newer Superjet routes drawing decidedly better comfort feedback than the Antonov ones.

IrAero matters above all to those traveling within Siberia and the Russian Far East, or to aviation enthusiasts who want to see one of the last operators of the An-24/An-26 family in passenger service. It is not an airline that appears in most international travelers' searches. If your specific route is operated by an Antonov turboprop rather than the newer Superjet, expect an aircraft from an earlier era and plan your carry-on accordingly, because cabin space is much more limited than on the jet fleet.