Aeroflot subsidiary Aurora Airline—which serves Russia’s Far East—carried 276,827 passengers in the first quarter, up 22% year-over-year (YOY), as a result of network and fleet growth.

In the first quarter, Aurora carried 216,454 domestic and 60,373 international passengers. It carried 1,638 tonnes of cargo, up 33% YOY. Total flying hours for the quarter were up 19% to 8,297 hours YOY.

Aurora’s 20-strong fleet comprises 10 Airbus A319s, two Bombardier Q400s, four DHC-8 Q300s, two DHC-8 Q200s and two DHC 6-400 Twin Otters. The airline took delivery of the first Q400 last December.

Aurora operates international flights to Hong Kong, Beijing, Tokyo, Harbin and Busan as well as domestic flights to Khabarovsk, Magadan, Yakutsk, Novosibirsk and Irkutsk.

Aurora previously said that in 2018 its fleet will include 42 aircraft and will operate services on 120 routes. It plans to double the number of passengers to 2.5 million and triple weekly services up to 500 flights per week.