Siberian airline UTair a trailblazer on in-flight Wi-Fi and live TV

The airline has reached agreement with California-based Row 44 to put the state-of-the-art package - widely seen as the most sophisticated now on offer - on domestic and international services starting from the third quarter of 2013. 

Passengers will be able to email and shop during their flight - or watch favourite TV shows and latest movies. 

'We are operating in a technology-rich era where we see passengers today are more connected than ever to their friends, family, and businesses. Row 44 offers the only platform that both meets our desire to provide our passengers with reliable, affordable broadband, and the cutting-edge ability to deliver it to the devices passengers already use onboard,' said  Andrei Martirosov, CEO of UTair Aviation. 

'We will be well able to adapt effectively to ever-evolving personal and business connectivity requirements of our passengers and our aircraft.'

John LaValle, Row 44's CEO, emphasised: 'UTair is one of Russia's most innovative and growth-focused airlines. We greatly appreciate UTair's trust and confidence to deliver a superior connectivity experience for UTAir's passengers and crew'.

UTair is one of Russia's three leading airlines and is increasingly securing a reputation for ambitious development and good value services. 

It operates a fleet of more than 200 aircraft and is expected to top ten million passengers this year. It serves 110 destinations in Russia and abroad. 

From early next year Row 44's global satellite network will enable its services to operate across North America, the Atlantic Ocean, Continental Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, South Africa as well as  Russia.  

The US company has boosted its corporate and network operations to Moscow as it taps into the lucrative Russian aviation market. 

So far the only other Russian airline to announce it will offer Row 44 services is Transaero. 

UTair's headquarters are in the oil city of Khanty Mansiysk, and its main base is at Roschino International Airport in Tyumen. It offers major services from Vnukovo Airport in Moscow.