Aurora (HZ, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk) will take delivery of its first three Dash 8-400s in early 2015. According to Russia's Vedomosti newspaper, parent Aeroflot (SU, Moscow Sheremetyevo) will source the aircraft from the second-hand market and not from Bombardier Aerospace's now-stalled Q400 assembly joint venture with Russia's Rostec State Corporation.

At present, Aurora operates two DHC-6s, two Dash 8-200s, and four Dash 8-300s on flights throughout Russia's Far Eastern regions. The latter two types are scheduled to be phased out from the airline's fleet by 2017.

The Canadian manufacturer has proposed replacing Russian carriers' ageing CRJ200 fleets with newer Q400NGs. During the recent Wings of Russia quorum, Bombardier's Director of Sales and Business Development Russia, CIS and Eastern Europe, Mark Gilbert, said the turboprop provided better fuel economy and performance on flights of roughly 1'000km in range. Furthermore, he added, it is more tolerant of low temperatures and is therefore better suited to the harsh conditions found in Russia's Far East.

According to the ch-aviation aircraft database, the following airlines maintain CRJ 200/Challenger 850 fleets in Russia: Ak Bars Aero (Bugulma) (17); IrAero (IO, Irkutsk International) (4); Kolavia (Kogalym) (1); RusLine (7R, Moscow Vnukovo) (15); Severstal Aircompany (D2, Cherepovets) (6); Tathra International Holdings (Moscow Vnukovo) (1); UTair (UT, Khanty-Mansiysk) (12); Yamal Airlines (YC, Salekhard) (11).