I think very few people heard about Panh Airlines. It’s a regional air company in East Siberia region in Russia which performs its flights solely within Buryatia with Cessna Grand Caravan planes. The only flight outside Buryatia is to Irkutsk. The flights to Irkutsk are performed twice a day: in the morning and in the evening. You can buy tickets only in a ticket office in the airport of Ulan-Ude and they accept only cash. The cost of an hour flight is approximately 80 USD.
Baikal Airport of Ulan-Ude, built in the eighties, a simple concrete box.
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However, it’s equipped with Wi-Fi, which works and at high speed.
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And yet, people with cameras aren’t welcome here.
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Preflight examination: liquids are not taken away, you don’t have to take off your shoes and after the walk-through metal detector they inspect you with hands.
There’s even a Business lounge.
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There aren’t many people in the clear zone.
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There’s only one shop and a cafe.
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Repair works are under way.
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The toilet is closed.
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As for the entertainment, there’s an information board and a local newspaper.
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The view of the airfield from the clear zone.
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And again no cameras.
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And here is Сessna Grand Caravan (the word Grand in its name is obviously superfluous).
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There are 9 passenger seats inside. The plane is 100 % full. The pilots’ cabin is not separated. There are no safety instructions before the take-off and there are no meals on board during the flight.
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The take-off is performed not from the concrete runway but right from the ground next to it. The take-off was smooth.
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The entertainment program includes the safety instructions only.
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We are flying low. The views are amazing: first the steppes.
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The Buddhistic monastery. The yellow roofs are its main temples.
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Then the forests.
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Then lake Baikal.
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The windows are bigger than in Boeings and Airbuses.
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The exit.
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Baggage space is in the tail-end.
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There are individual lights and climate control. There’s even an attendant call button. The only thing is there are no flight attendants.
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The landing in Irkutsk airport is smooth, this time on the concrete runway. The passengers are picking up their luggage which was spaced under the plane’s floor.
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Air Volga, more famous as Rusline. Earlier the airport of Irkutsk broke off relations with this air company and took the matters to court for non-payment for the airport’s service. Obviously they’ve managed to reach an agreement.
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Arrivals area.
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