Summary Utair Boeing 737-800 almost landed on a runway under construction, crew realized last minute. The incident highlights concerns about aviation safety in Russia. Russian airlines face safety risks due to a lack of spare parts & increased incidents since 2022.
Russia’s Utair Boeing 737-800 aircraft, flying from Turkey to Grozny, narrowly avoided landing on a runway that was still under construction. The incident details The Utair Boeing 737-800, registered as RA-73089, was operating a flight from Antalya Airport (AYT) in Turkey to Grozny Airport (GRV) in Chechnya when the pilots reportedly confused the runways and began approaching a closed runway that was under construction. However, at the last moment, the crew aborted the landing, kicking up a cloud of dust.
On their second attempt, they successfully landed on the active runway, and no injuries were reported. A video has surfaced online showing the aircraft narrowly avoiding the unfinished runway. In the footage, the 737 can be seen flying past an excavator and the entire construction site before suddenly ascending again.
Simple Flying has asked Utair for a comment. Founded in 1967, Utair is a Russian scheduled airline with hubs at Surgut International Airport (SGC) and Vnukovo International Airport (VKO). The carrier currently operates a fleet of 60 aircraft at an average age of 20 years, according to ch-aviation data.
The fleet consists of 42 Boeing 737s, 15 ATR 72-500 regional turboprops, and three Boeing 767-200.