Ural Airlines operated its first restored scheduled flight from Yekaterinburg to Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, on August 18, 2007. The carrier’s press officer says, referring to Conde Nast Traveler, that Baku is ‘one of the twenty places one should see before they lose their historic looks‘. Experts predict putting up more new buildings downtown is bound to fully exterminate the city’s unique architectural ensemble in about a couple of decades.

The flight is performed every Saturday using a TU 154 M aircraft, with the plane taking off from Yekaterinburg at 2 AM and arriving in Baku at 4 AM. The return flight departs from Baku at 5.30 AM and arrives in Yekaterinburg at 9.15 AM. The cheapest tickets are available for ?190.

Ural Airlines’ Commercial Director Kirill Skuratov says the newly restored flight is aimed at meeting the sightseeing needs of Sverdlovsk Region population.