After the annulment of the commercial transportation certificate in November 2025, Angara Airlines in Irkutsk paid idle pilots and flight attendants only a salary with allowances for months — at the level of the minimum wage instead of the required average earnings. Employees turned to the transport prosecutor's office. After its intervention, more than 1 million rubles were paid to 15 crew members. Administrative cases have been initiated against the company's director and legal entity for violating labor law.
What Remains of Angara Seven Months After the Disaster
The plane crash occurred on July 24, 2025: An-24 was operating flight Blagoveshchensk — Khabarovsk — Tynda and crashed into a hill while landing. All 48 people on board died. According to the IAC, the crew incorrectly determined the altitude during the approach. The plane itself was in good working order.
After the disaster, Rosaviatsiya consistently annulled three certificates: for maintenance — July 26, for training flight mechanics — August 22, for commercial transportation — November 5. The company operated its last flights on November 4, 2025.
In February 2026, Angara changed its name to I8 and changed its logo. The company still has two Mi-8 helicopters in its leasing portfolio. The website only contains information about helicopter services, air ambulance, and aerial forest fire protection.
Prospects of I8: Experts Are Not Optimistic
According to Ilya Shatilin, editor-in-chief of FrequentFlyers.ru, the airline is "in maintenance mode" — government contracts cover part of the costs, but do not involve scaling. The commercial transportation certificate has been canceled without a simplified return procedure: to get it again, you need to apply on a general basis — as when creating an airline from scratch. Renaming to I8 does not nullify the history of violations.
The departure of the regional carrier is especially painful for the Irkutsk region with its vast territory and remote areas — aviation here performed an important social function. Angara's northern routes were transferred to IrAero.