Air Urga

URGA International Joint Stock Aviation Company, branded as Air Urga, is a charter airline based in Kropyvnytskyi and Kyiv [International Airport (Zhuliany)|Zhuliany], Ukraine.

History

The airline was established and started operations in August 1993. It was founded as International Joint Stock Aviation Company URGA, initially concentrating on charter flights. Regular passenger flights from Kyiv and Kryvyi Rih were added in May 1997. Air Urga is owned by the State Property Fund of Ukraine and American International Consulting Corp. It has 378 employees.
In 2014, the airline launched its first regular passenger flight - Kyiv-Lviv.
As of May 2017, the number of destinations that the company can fly to has been significantly reduced due to being put on the EU's air safety blacklist along with 180 other airlines. URGA will be unable to fly to EU destinations until these safety issues are addressed. However, as of May 2017, the airline was not operating any regular passenger flights.

Destinations

Air Urga operates charter passenger and cargo flights from various Ukrainian airports to destinations in North Macedonia, Turkey, Syria, and United Arab Emirates. Its main base is the Kropyvnytskyi Airport.

Fleet

Current fleet

As of December 2025, Air Urga operates the following aircraft:

Former fleet

The airline formerly operated additional Antonov An-26 and Saab 340 aircraft, as well as an additional Cessna 172 aircraft for training purposes.

Incidents and accidents

On 19 March 2000, an Antonov An-26 UR-26586 operating a United Nations flight crashed while landing at Goma International Airport in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The aircraft had encountered windshear and attempted a go-around, but slammed into the runway with its landing gear raised. The 10 crew and passengers of the aircraft were injured and the aircraft was destroyed.
On 29 July 2013, a Saab 340 UR-ARO operating a United Nations flight rolled off the runway while taking off at Lubumbashi International Airport in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as a result of the destruction of a propeller and engine. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair.
On 1 June 2023, a Saab 340 UR-ELZ operating a United Nations flight rolled off the runway while landing at Timbuktu Airport in Mali as a result of a thrust-reverser failure. The aircraft was not damaged nor any crew or passengers injured.
On 10 February 2025, an Antonov An-26 UR-ELB operating a United Nations flight crashed into an embankment while on approach to Ndele Airport in the Central African Republic. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair and several members of the crew were hospitalised.