The awarding ceremony of Russian Wings 2006 (the national aviation prize) took place in Moscow on April 3, 2007. Ural Airlines (the region’s largest carrier) won in two most important categories, becoming the Carrier of the Year in terms of domestic and international flights, reports the company’s press officer. The first prize was given to Aeroflot Russian Airlines, though.

Russian Wings is the only rating-based award that gives one a chance to impartially evaluate Russian carriers’ performance in a whole range of aspects, including the passenger turnover and dynamics, profitability, etc. This year, 27 airlines presented reports on their activity in 2006 to compete for the prize in nine categories. In fact, only the carriers with the internationally acceptable safety standards (that is, those without contingencies or accidents within a given period) were eligible to apply.

This is the third time Ural Airlines has been included in the first group of contestants that comprises carriers whose passenger-kilometer index comes to more than 1 billion, so the airline competed with such Russian giants as Aeroflot Russian Airlines, Dalavia, and Atlant-Soyuz. This means the major regional airline has once again proved its status as one of the safest and most promising Russian carriers.