UTair (UT, Khanty-Mansiysk) has been dragged to court by Avialeasing over RUB3.5million (USD67,000) in unpaid Tu-154M lease payments.

In its application to have UTair declared bankrupt, the Perm-based lessor alleged that since the carrier's overall debt exceeds RUB3.5million, it could no longer claim to be a financially viable entity. The case is Avialeasing's second such claim against UTair after it filed a similar petition in 2012.

Other creditors include the UGRA SPb leasing firm which is owed RUB687million (USD13million) and the operators of Ekaterinburg and Perm Bolshoye Savino airports which are owed RUB9.5million (USD180,900).

According to TASS, the court, located in Russia's Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Region, is expected to rule this week.

Earlier this month, Russia's Alfa Bank successfully petitioned a Moscow Arbitration Court to freeze the carrier's assets, valued at roughly USD11.8 million, after the carrier failed to settle its outstanding debts.

Parent UTair Aviation's financial situation has looked increasingly precarious with Western sanctions and the collapse in the price of oil hitting the petro-based Russian economy particularly hard.