Russian plane crash: Why Soviet-era An-24 aircraft called flying tractors?

Rescuers found no survivors at the site where an Antonov An-24 plane crashed in Russia's far eastern Amur region on Thursday. "A ground rescue team from the Russian emergencies ministry is surveying the scene of the incident and conducting search operations. As of now, there are no survivors," said the authorities. The plane was carrying about 50 people. The Antonov An-24 plane was nearly 50 years old, manufactured in the Soviet Union era. The plane crashed in a forested area.

The plane was owned by a Siberia-based airline called Angara. The Russian aircraft's tail number showed it was built in 1976. Before the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, it used to be operated by Aeroflot. The plane was travelling from Blagoveshchensk to Tynda, an important railway station in the region.

43 passengers, including five children and six crew members, were on board the plane. The fuselage of the aircraft, as seen from a helicopter, was on fire.

Angara airline, based in the Siberian city of Irkutsk, operates 10 An-24s built between 1972 and 1976. These planes are called flying tractors.

An-24s are propeller-driven planes. They are reliable planes, rugged enough to withstand the harsh weather conditions of Siberia. They can operate with ease in sub-zero temperatures and can land on uneven runways.

The cost of repairing these planes has increased over the years because of Western sanctions against Russia. Many of these planes are due for retirement from service. However, airlines are keeping them in their inventory because there are no replacements as of now. They are waiting for the replacement of An-24, Landoga, whose production will not begin until 2027.

Russia has taken steps to switch from Soviet aircraft to modern jets in recent years, but ageing light aircraft are still widely used in far-flung regions.

Weather conditions at the time of the incident were poor, Angara Airlines CEO Sergei Salamanov told Russia's REN TV channel. "The commander made the decision to carry out the flight," he was quoted as saying.