airsLLide No. 15175: RA-12990, Antonov 12B, Atran, Moscow-Domodedovo, July 7, 1998
Inititally trading under the name Aviatrans that was later shortened to Atran, the Russian freight specialist flying out of a quiet corner in the Northeastern corner of Domodedovo Airport claimed to have been one of the earliest independent and privately owned airlines of Russia - according to some sources it might well even have been the very first airline besides the monolithic Aeroflot to hold an AOC in Russia.
Atran grew to a fleet of ten Antonov 26/32 twins, ten Antonov 12 freighters, and seven Ilyushin 76 transports that it used both domestically as well as on international ad-hoc freight flights. The fleet was later «westernized» with five Boeing 737-400 and six Boeing 737-800 converted from passenger use to freighters. Formally, the carrier still exists to the present day, but most of the fleet is now grounded due to the Russian economy's downturn and the lack of spares due to the internaitonal sanctions against Russia in the wake of its war against Ukraine. Only two Antonov 12 are reported active as of summer 2026, with all the Boeing's stored.