Saratov Airlines
A Russian passenger airline based in Saratov that operated domestic scheduled and international charter services until 2018.
Last updated August 24, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
Saratov Airlines was a Russian passenger airline headquartered in Saratov and based at Saratov Tsentralny Airport. Its origins went back to 1931, when it operated as the Saratov United Air Squad within the Aeroflot system. The carrier later became known under the commercial name Saravia, a name it used until late 2013, before adopting the Saratov Airlines identity. The airline served as a regional and interregional carrier linking Saratov with destinations across Russia. In its later years it also operated international charter services, including flights to Armenia and Georgia. Its network expanded beyond Saratov, with operations associated with airports such as Moscow Domodedovo and Krasnoyarsk Yemelyanovo. The May 2018 schedule included Russian destinations ranging from western cities such as Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod and Volgograd to locations in the Urals, Siberia and the Russian Far East, including Yekaterinburg, Irkutsk, Vladivostok and Blagoveshchensk. A significant fleet milestone came in December 2013, when Saratov Airlines became the first Russian operator of Embraer E-Jets after receiving two Embraer 195 aircraft. The airline also continued to use Yakovlev Yak-42 aircraft and later operated Antonov An-148 aircraft. In 2017 it announced a letter of intent to lease six Irkut MC-21-300 aircraft, with proposed deliveries from 2022 through 2025. The plan reflected an intention to modernize and expand the fleet, although the carrier did not remain in operation long enough for those aircraft to enter service with it. The airline faced regulatory difficulties in 2015 after Russian aviation authorities identified a violation of security rules. From 26 October that year it was restricted from operating flights outside Russia, although it had resumed international charter services by May 2016. The carrier's most consequential crisis followed Saratov Airlines Flight 703, an Antonov An-148 flying from Moscow Domodedovo to Orsk, which crashed shortly after takeoff on 11 February 2018. All 71 people aboard died. After the crash, Russian authorities took several increasingly restrictive measures. On 20 March 2018, the Ministry of Transport ordered the suspension of Saratov Airlines flights while the accident and the airline's safety practices were investigated. The validity of its operating certificate was subsequently shortened to 27 April. The aviation authority later criticized management's handling of safety obligations, including the submission of a fleet and crew list that still included the crashed aircraft and deceased crew members. The airline was urged to stop voluntarily, and ticket sales were ordered to end in May. In April 2018, Saratov Airlines announced a planned rebranding as Ivolga Airlines. The proposed change was widely associated with the reputational consequences of the crash and with the airline's operation from bases beyond Saratov, but the rebranding was never completed. The carrier ceased all flights and ticket sales on 30 May 2018 after its operating certificate was not renewed. Saratov Tsentralny Airport, the airline's principal base and the only airport serving Saratov Oblast at the time, itself ceased operations in 2019 when Saratov Gagarin Airport opened.
History
Saratov Airlines originated in 1931 as the Saratov United Air Squad, an aviation organization operating within the Aeroflot system. Its historical identity was therefore closely tied to Soviet civil aviation and to Saratov’s role as a regional transport center. In the post-Soviet period, the carrier operated under the Saravia brand until late 2013, when it adopted the Saratov Airlines name. The airline’s business centered on passenger transportation within Russia. Saratov served as its principal base, while the carrier also developed operations from other airports, including Moscow Domodedovo and Krasnoyarsk Yemelyanovo. By May 2018, its scheduled domestic network reached cities in European Russia, the Volga region, the Urals, Siberia and the Russian Far East. It also operated international charter services to destinations including Yerevan in Armenia and Tbilisi in Georgia. Fleet development was an important part of its later strategy. In December 2013, Saratov Airlines received two Embraer 195 aircraft and became the first Russian airline to operate Embraer E-Jets. The carrier also used Yakovlev Yak-42 aircraft and Antonov An-148 aircraft. In July 2017, it announced a letter of intent covering six Irkut MC-21-300 aircraft, with proposed deliveries from 2022 to 2025. Those aircraft were never introduced into the airline’s fleet because the company ceased operations in 2018. The carrier encountered regulatory problems in October 2015 after Russian aviation authorities found a breach of security rules. It was prohibited from operating international routes from 26 October, although it later resumed international charter flights. The airline’s most serious crisis followed the crash of Saratov Airlines Flight 703 on 11 February 2018. The Antonov An-148 disappeared from radar less than ten minutes after departing Moscow Domodedovo Airport for Orsk. The accident killed all 65 passengers and six crew members aboard. The crash triggered extensive regulatory scrutiny. On 20 March 2018, the Russian Ministry of Transport ordered a suspension of Saratov Airlines flights while the accident investigation proceeded. The carrier publicly stated that it continued operating some flights using Embraer 190 and Yak-42 aircraft, but the authorities subsequently shortened the operating certificate’s validity to 27 April. On 2 April, the Russian aviation authority called on the airline to cease operations voluntarily, citing what it described as exceptionally irresponsible management of passenger and crew safety. A cited concern was that the airline had submitted a current aircraft and crew list that still included the aircraft involved in the crash and crew members who had died. On 10 April, Saratov Airlines announced plans to rename itself Ivolga Airlines. The proposal was interpreted as an effort to distance the business from the crash and also as a reflection of its activity from bases other than Saratov. The name change was not completed. On 17 May, the aviation authority ordered the company to stop selling tickets by the end of the month. Saratov Airlines ultimately ceased all flights and ticket sales on 30 May 2018, after its operating certificate was not renewed. The airline’s closure preceded the 2019 replacement of Saratov Tsentralny Airport by the new Saratov Gagarin Airport. Saratov Airlines therefore remains a defunct regional Russian carrier whose history spans the Soviet Aeroflot system, post-Soviet regional aviation, limited international charter activity, early Russian adoption of Embraer E-Jets and a final regulatory shutdown after the Flight 703 disaster.
- 2018
Flight 703 crashes
[1]An Antonov An-148 operating from Moscow to Orsk crashed shortly after takeoff, killing all 71 people aboard.
- 2018
Operations end
[1]Saratov Airlines stopped flying and selling tickets on 30 May after its operating certificate was not renewed.
- 2017
Signs MC-21-300 leasing letter of intent
[1]The airline announced plans to lease six Irkut MC-21-300 aircraft, with proposed deliveries from 2022 to 2025.
- 2016
International charter services resume
[1]By May, the airline had resumed international charter operations.
- 2015
International-flight restriction imposed
[1]A Russian aviation-security ruling barred the carrier from operating outside Russia from 26 October.
- 2013
Adopts the Saratov Airlines identity
[1]The carrier moved away from the Saravia branding used until late 2013 and operated under the Saratov Airlines name.
- 2013
Begins Embraer E-Jet operations
[1]Two Embraer 195 aircraft arrived, making Saratov Airlines the first Russian operator of Embraer E-Jets.
- 1931
Founded as Saratov United Air Squad
[1]The organization that later became Saratov Airlines was established as the Saratov United Air Squad within the Aeroflot system.
Products and positioning
A regional Russian passenger carrier connecting Saratov and other Russian cities through scheduled domestic services, supplemented by international charter operations.
Passenger air transport
Domestic scheduled passenger services
The airline’s principal offering was scheduled passenger transportation between Saratov and cities across Russia. Its late network covered the Volga region, western Russia, the Urals, Siberia and the Russian Far East, using a mixed fleet that included Embraer, Yakovlev and Antonov aircraft.
Charter air transport
International charter services
Saratov Airlines supplemented its domestic schedule with international charter passenger operations. Destinations listed near the end of its operating period included Yerevan, Armenia, and Tbilisi, Georgia. These services were temporarily restricted after a 2015 aviation-security sanction and had resumed by May 2016.
Regional jet operations · 2013
Embraer 195 operations
The Embraer 195 became a notable part of the carrier’s modern regional-jet offering. Saratov Airlines received two aircraft in December 2013 and became the first Russian operator of Embraer E-Jets, supporting passenger services on routes requiring a smaller jet than a conventional mainline aircraft.
Marketing campaigns
- 2018Ivolga Airlines rebranding proposal
Russia
Saratov Airlines announced an intention to rebrand as Ivolga Airlines. The proposed identity was associated with both reputational repair after the Flight 703 crash and the carrier’s increasingly distributed operating bases.
Outcome. The rebranding was never completed because the airline ceased operations in May 2018.
Brand decisions
2018
Propose Ivolga Airlines rebrandStrategyBackground
The airline faced severe reputational and regulatory pressure after the Flight 703 crash and operated from several bases beyond Saratov.
Action taken
Management announced plans to rename the carrier Ivolga Airlines.
Aftermath
The new brand was not launched before the airline lost its operating authorization and closed.
2017
Plan future MC-21 fleet expansionStrategyBackground
At the MAKS air show, the airline signaled an intention to renew and expand its fleet.
Action taken
It signed a letter of intent to lease six Irkut MC-21-300 aircraft for proposed delivery between 2022 and 2025.
Aftermath
The plan did not proceed because Saratov Airlines ceased operations in 2018, before the proposed delivery period.
2013
Introduce Embraer E-JetsProduct launchBackground
The airline sought to operate modern regional jets and received two Embraer 195 aircraft in December 2013.
Action taken
Saratov Airlines became the first Russian operator of Embraer E-Jets.
Aftermath
The aircraft formed part of the carrier’s later passenger fleet until its operations ended.
Sources1 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/saratov-airlines · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled