Aeroflot

Aeroflot—Russian Airlines
Аэрофлот—Российские авиалинии

File:Aeroflot logo.png
IATA ICAO Call sign SU AFL AEROFLOT
Founded	9 February 1923
Commenced operations	15 July 1923
Hubs	Sheremetyevo International Airport
Frequent-flyer program	Aeroflot Bonus
Alliance	SkyTeam
Subsidiaries	Donavia * Nordavia * Aeroflot-Plus * Aeroflot-Cargo
Fleet size	118 (+99 orders, 15 options)
Destinations	97
Headquarters	Moscow, Russia
Key people	Vitaly Gennadevich Savelev (General Director) * Viktor Petrovich Ivanov (Chairman of the Board of Directors) * Aleksandr Yuryevich Zurabov (First Deputy General Director)
Website	http://www.aeroflot.ru

The headquarters of Aeroflot are located in the light yellow building on Arbat Street

OJSC "Aeroflot—Russian Airlines" (Russian: ОАО «Аэрофлот—Российские авиалинии») (MCX: AFLT MCX: AFLT), commonly known as Aeroflot (Russian: Аэрофлот), is the largest airline in Russia, based on passengers carried per year. Aeroflot, headquartered in Moscow, is one of the oldest airlines in the world, tracing its history back to 1923. The airline operates domestic and international passenger services to 97 cities in 48 countries, mainly from Sheremetyevo International Airport serving Moscow.

During the Soviet era, Aeroflot was the Soviet national airline and the largest airline in the world. Since the dissolution of the USSR, Aeroflot has been transformed from a state-run enterprise into a semi-privatised airline which ranks amongst the most profitable in the world. Aeroflot is still considered the de facto national airline of Russia.

Aeroflot has embarked on a fleet modernisation program, extensive route restructuring, and an image overhaul. The airline joined SkyTeam in April 2006.

The company is chaired by Viktor Ivanov, and the general director is Vitaly Savelev.

History

The Tupolev ANT-20bis was used for cargo flights from Moscow to Mineralnye Vody during World War II

File:USSR air routes Pulkovo.jpg

A map in the main terminal of the Leningrad airport shows the early main routes of Aeroflot

In 1921, shortly after the end of civil war in European Russia, the new government established the Chief Administration of the Civil Air Fleet to oversee new air transport projects. One of its first acts was to help found Deutsch-Russische Luftverkehrs A.G. (Deruluft), a German-Russian joint venture to provide air transport from Russia to the West. Domestic air service began around the same time, when Dobrolyot (Russian: Добролёт) was established on 9 February 1923. It started operations on 15 July 1923 between Moscow and Nizhni Novgorod.

On 25 February 1932 all civil aviation activities were consolidated under the administration of the Head Directorate of Civil Air Fleet Russian: Главное управление Гражданского воздушного флота (ГУ ГВФ), and the official abbreviated operating name of the fleet was determined to be Aeroflot. International flights started in 1937; before that date they had been carried out by Deruluft.

By the end of the 1930s Aeroflot had become the world's largest airline, employing more than 4,000 pilots and 60,000 other service personnel and operating around 3,000 aircraft, of which 75% were considered obsolete by its own standards. During the war the primary types of operated aircraft became PS-84 (ПС-84) from September 1942 renamed Li-2 (Ли-2) and the DC-3 Dakota manufactured under license in USSR since before the war. For mail delivery the U-2 (У-2), renamed from 1944 Po-2 (По-2) became the single most used type, serving in other roles such as medical evacuation as S-1 (C-1) for sanitarny (sanitary). Serving alongside military aviation, the Civil Air Fleet was used to ferry 2.3 million passengers, including service personnel and partisans, and deliver 230 thousand tonnes of cargo, including ammunition. The other role of the CAF was that of training, it produced 23,000 aviation specialists, including 20,907 pilots for the Li-2 and Po-2 aircraft. It was an Li-2 of the 2nd Sevastopol aviation regiment flown by its commander, Colonel A.I. Semenkov that delivered the Act of German capitulation to Moscow on the 9 May 1945.

Ilyushin Il-96 in the previous Aeroflot livery

During the Soviet era Aeroflot was synonymous with Russian civil aviation. It became the first airline in the world to operate regular jet services on 15 September 1956 with the Tupolev Tu-104.

In January 1971 the Aeroflot Central Administration of International Air Traffic was established within the framework of IATA, and became the sole enterprise authorised to operate international flights. Abroad, the airline was known as Aeroflot Soviet Airlines. In 1976 Aeroflot carried its 100 millionth passenger. Its flights were mainly concentrated around the Soviet Union, but the airline also had an international network covering five continents: North and South America, Europe, Africa and Asia. The network included countries such as the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Spain, Cuba, Mexico and the People's Republic of China. Since the 1970s some transatlantic flights were flown using Shannon Airport in Ireland as an intermediate stop, as it was the westernmost non-NATO airport in Europe.

Aeroflot service between the Soviet Union and the United States was interrupted from September 15, 1983 until August 2, 1990, following an executive order by President Ronald Reagan, revoking the airline's license to operate flights into and out of the United States. The reason for the order was the downing of Korean Air Lines Flight 007 by Soviet Air Force. At the start of the 1990s Aeroflot reorganised again giving more autonomy to territorial divisions. By 1992, REG Davies, former curator of the Smithsonian Institution, claims that by 1992 Aeroflot had over 600,000 people operating over 10,000 aircraft. By 1967, Aeroflot amassing a fleet equal to that of the largest American carriers combined

Aeroflot Airbus A310 at Sheremetyevo Airport in 1994

In 1992, following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Aeroflot was divided into more than 300 regional airlines. International routes were operated separately as Aeroflot - Russian International Airlines (ARIA). Some airline companies which were created from the old Aeroflot are now flag carriers of the newly independent countries - for example, Uzbekistan Airlines, and Lithuanian Airlines. Smaller regional airlines which emerged out of the old Aeroflot - sometimes just one-plane operations - were sometimes referred to as Babyflots.

In 1994 Aeroflot was registered as a joint stock company and the government sold off 49% of its stake to Aeroflot employees. During the 1990s, Aeroflot was primarily focused on international flights from Moscow. However, by the end of the decade Aeroflot started an expansion in the domestic market. In 2000 the company name was changed to Aeroflot - Russian Airlines to reflect the change in the company strategy.

Other functions

Aeroflot also performed other functions, including aeromedical, crop-dusting, heavy lifting for the Soviet Space Agency (see Soviet Space Programme), offshore oil platform support, exploration for natural resources, support for construction projects, transport of military troops and supplies (as an adjunct to the Soviet Air Force), atmospheric research, and remote area patrol. It operated hundreds of helicopters and cargo aircraft in addition to civil airliners. It also operated the Soviet equivalent of a presidential aircraft and other VIP transports of government and communist party officials.

Aeroflot was also responsible for such services as ice patrol in the Arctic Ocean and escorting of ships through frozen seas, oil exploration, power line surveillance, and transportation and heavy lifting support on construction projects. For the latter tasks, Aeroflot used, in addition to smaller helicopters, the Mi-10 flying crane capable of lifting 11,000 to 14,000 kilograms. Hauling of heavy cargo, including vehicles, was performed by the world's largest helicopter, the Mi-26. Its unusual eight-blade rotor enabled it to lift a maximum payload of some twenty tons.

The close relationship between Aeroflot and the Soviet armed forces was underscored by the fact that the minister of civil aviation has been a high-ranking general or marshal of the Air Forces. Most Aeroflot pilots held reserve commissions in the Air Forces. The medium- and long-range passenger and cargo aircraft of Aeroflot were also part of the strategic air transport reserve, ready to provide immediate airlift support to the armed forces. Indeed, many aircraft in Aeroflot's inventory were of the same basic design as military aircraft and, even when loaded with bulky cargo and vehicles, were capable of operating from unimproved fields. They were characterized by high wings, low fuselages with cargo/vehicle loading ramps, and landing gear suitable for unimproved or marshy terrain. Short-range airplanes and helicopters were available for appropriate military support missions. Civil aviation also served as a cover for military operations. According to a Western authority, military aircraft belonging to the Military Transport Aviation (Voennaia transportnaia aviatsiia) have been painted in Aeroflot colors for use as food relief and arms or personnel transports to foreign countries. According to Alexander Kouzminov, Aeroflot may have worked as a front organization of Soviet and Russian intelligence agencies including the KGB, SVR and GRU.

Recent developments

Tupolev Tu-154M in the new Aeroflot livery. Sheremetyevo Airport

Aeroflot's famous "Winged Hammer and Sickle" logo

File:Aeroflot Russian International Airlines logo.svg

Aeroflot Russian International Airlines logo

File:Aeroflot old logo.svg

Old logo

Flag

Aeroflot has been working towards redefining itself as a safe and reliable airline, hiring British consultants for rebranding at the beginning of the 2000s. A new livery and uniforms for flight attendants were designed and a promotional campaign launched in 2003.

Plans were afoot to replace the old Soviet-era hammer and sickle logo, which some people in the West treat as a reminder of Soviet communism. However, as it was for over 70 years the most recognisable symbol of the company, the logo was retained.

Aeroflot has upgraded its fleet of Western-built aircraft. It has 24 A320/A319 jet planes for short-haul flights in Europe and 11 Boeing 767 planes for long-haul routes. The total number of planes is 93. It carried 5.9 million passengers in 2003.

In the spring of 2004 the airline started an expansion on the domestic market aiming to gain 30% share by 2010 (as of 2006 it held approximately 9%). The first task was to outperform one of its major rivals S7 Airlines, the leader in the Russian domestic market. On July 29, 2004 the company adopted a new corporate slogan: "Sincerely Yours. Aeroflot".

On April 14, 2006 Aeroflot became the first air carrier in the former Soviet Union to join a global alliance, SkyTeam. The airline will also get its own terminal at Sheremetyevo International Airport known as Sheremetyevo terminal 3 which will be finished in 2009.

The company has announced its plan to increase cargo operations. It registered the "Aeroflot-Cargo" trademark in 2006.

The airline is owned (as of March 2007) by the Russian Government via Rosimushchestvo (51.17%), National Reserve Corporation (27%) and employees and others (19%) and has 14,900 employees.

In 2006 Aeroflot carried 7,290,000 passengers and 145,300 tons of mail and cargo to 89 destinations in 47 countries.

Aeroflot has seen a financial improvement, both in its earnings and number of passengers carried. The net profit of the company reached $309.4 million (RUB 7.98 billion) in 2006, a 32.3% increase from 2005 earnings of only $234 million (RUB6.03 billion). The revenue for the same 2005-2006 period rose by 13.5% to reach $2.77 billion with an 8.7% gain in passenger numbers.

Cargo

Main article: Aeroflot-Cargo

According to a British newspaper, The Guardian, the Aeroflot board announced on May 7, 2009 that the cargo division of the company was no longer profitable and that the company was considering its liquidation through bankruptcy. The board announced a 30% fall in freight.

Destinations

As of October 2009 Aeroflot operates scheduled passenger and cargo flights from Sheremetyevo International Airport in Moscow to 48 countries, serving 97 destinations.

Main article: Aeroflot destinations

Fleet

Passenger

Tupolev Tu-154M

Airbus A321-200

For most of its history, Aeroflot's fleet consisted entirely of planes built by Russian manufacturers Antonov, Ilyushin, and Tupolev. Following the Soviet Union's dissolution and subsequent partition of the airline, Aeroflot has begun to replace its old Soviet aircraft with Western ones.

The Aeroflot fleet includes the following aircraft (at February 2010):

Aeroflot Fleet

Aircraft	In Fleet	Orders	Passengers
			C	Y	Total
Airbus A319-100	15	0	20	96	116
Airbus A320-200	33	14	20	120	140
Airbus A321-200	16	8	28	142	170
Airbus A330-200	5	0	34	207	241
Airbus A330-300	4	1	34	268	302
Airbus A350-800XWB	0	18	TBA
Airbus A350-900XWB	0	4	TBA
Boeing 767-300ER	11	0	30	188	218
Boeing 787-8	0	22	TBA
Ilyushin Il-96-300	6	0	12	270	282
Sukhoi Superjet 100-95	0	30	TBA
Total	90	97

Retired

Aeroflot's Tu-144 in museum

During the Soviet era, almost all Aeroflot's airliners were built by Soviet manufacturers. During the 1940s and the early 1950s, the main aircraft was a licensed version of the Douglas DC-3. Soviet-made, modified versions of this airliner were named the PS-84 and the Lisunov Li-2. The first to be produced in the Soviet Union was completed in 1939.

Later, the Li-2 were replaced by the Ilyushin Il-12, which entered service in 1947, and the Ilyushin Il-14, which entered service in 1954. Aeroflot also operated large numbers of the Antonov An-2 STOL biplane (first flying in 1947), in passenger and cargo roles. The An-2 remained in service until the 1980s.

Ilyushin Il-86 in old livery

On September 15, 1956 Aeroflot began to operate the Tupolev Tu-104, the USSR's first jet airliner in regular service. The first passenger-carrying flight was from Moscow to Irkutsk, Russia. The first international route was Moscow–Prague, Czech Republic (then Czechoslovakia).

The Tupolev Tu-114, originally used to transport Soviet leaders, came into service in 1961 on the Moscow (Vnukovo International Airport) - Khabarovsk, Russia route. It also served international routes such as Moscow–Tokyo, Japan and Moscow–Havana, Cuba, the airline's longest non-stop route at that time.

In 1962 Aeroflot began operating the Tupolev Tu-124, the smaller version of the Tu-104, on regional routes. These were later replaced by the Tupolev Tu-134, which entered service in 1967. Upgraded versions of the Tu-134 still make up much of the Russian regional fleet today.

The first Ilyushin Il-62 long-range four-engined airliner entered service with Aeroflot in 1967, with an inaugural flight from Moscow to Montreal on September 15.

In 1972 the first Tupolev Tu-154 began regular flights. This jet is the most popular Russian airliner, with more than 1,000 made. The latest modification, Tu-154M, is still in service. These aircraft serve most of the Russian domestic flights.

On November 1, 1977 Aeroflot started to use the Tupolev Tu-144, nicknamed the Concordski, the world's first civil supersonic aircraft, on its regular route from Moscow (Domodedovo International Airport) to Alma-Ata (now Almaty, Kazakhstan). The Tu-144 was suspended from passenger service in 1978, having made 55 regular flights.

In 1980 the Ilyushin Il-86, the first Russian-made wide-body aeroplane, joined the fleet, reaching a total of 11. These were phased out by the end of 2006.

The first Western-made aircraft, the Airbus A310, was acquired in 1992. The company also became a Boeing customer, acquiring new Boeing 767 jets in 1994. Since then Aeroflot has also operated Boeing 737s, Airbus A320s, and the cargo version of the Douglas DC-10s.

From 1998 to 2005, Aeroflot leased two Boeing 777s, using the type on routes to the USA.

6 January 2008, Aeroflot retired the last eight Tupolev 134s after 40 years. The last flight was Kaliningrad-Moscow.

14 January 2010, Aeroflot retired the last Tupolev 154 after 40 years. The last flight was Yekaterinburg-Moscow, taking place on 31 December 2009.

Fleet in 1993

Aeroflot Fleet

Model	Variant	Count
YAK-42	42	61
YAK-42	42D	39
TU-134	134	27
TU-134	134A	265
TU-134	134A1	6
TU-134	134A3	110
TU-134	134B3	3
TU-154	154	31
TU-154	154A	123
TU-154	154B	204
TU-154	154M	118
TU-154	154S	7
TU-154	155	1
IL-62	62	51
IL-62	62M	118
IL-86	86	64
IL-96	300	1
Airbus 310	324	5

• Total: 1257 aircraft

Fleet expansion

Ilyushin Il-96-300

Boeing 767-300ER at Toronto Pearson International Airport

Airbus A320-200

In 1993 Aeroflot began operating the Ilyushin Il-96-300 aircraft on the Moscow - New York route. The company now flies six aircraft of the type - about one half of all Il-96s in commercial service worldwide - and promised to buy six more if the Russian State allowed it not to pay import duty on Western-built aircraft. Industry experts claim the company is trying to terminate the deal with Ilyushin as operating the Il-96 is not cost-effective.

In 2006 it leased three used Boeing 767-300ER from ILFC for 5 years. The first two aircraft were delivered in November 2006 and January 2007, the third one was delivered in March 2007. The company had previously leased two Boeing 767-300ER from ILFC.

As of 2007, Aeroflot is in the midst of an overhaul of its fleet structure. The aging Tupolev 134s used on the short- and mid-haul routes are being phased out - the former to be replaced by the Sukhoi Superjet 100 by November, 2008.

For long-haul routes the company has ordered the Airbus A330, the Airbus A350 and the Boeing 787.

In May 2007, Finnair has announced the sale of its last two self-owned MD-11s to Aeroflot which are thus to become part of the Russian airline cargo fleet in 2008 and 2009.

Matters came to a head in September 2006 as Aeroflot's Board of Directors convened to vote on the Boeing contract. This coincided with the USA imposing sanctions on various Russian companies (including a major aircraft maker, Sukhoi) for allegedly supplying Iran in violation of the US's Iran Nonproliferation Act of 2000 and with the Russian state-owned Vneshtorgbank buying 5% of the stock in EADS, the corporation behind Airbus. The State's representatives on the board abstained from the vote and another round of lobbying ensued, with Russian news sources reporting Aeroflot's efforts to placate the State by offering to order both 22 Boeing 787s and 22 Airbus 350s, effectively doubling its long-range fleet. Banker Alexander Lebedev, the man behind National Reserve Corporation, reached a deal with Boeing to prolong the deadline, using his corporation's money.

• On March 22, 2007, Aeroflot signed an agreement with Airbus for the delivery of 22 Airbus 350-800/900 XWB aircraft starting in 2015
• Ten Airbus A330: five A330-200 and five A330-300 aircraft have also been ordered to arrive on operating leases from the end of 2008 to provide interim capacity.

Aeroflot and Boeing signed a deal for the 22 Dreamliners on the sidelines of Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum, with deliveries starting in 2014. Aeroflot's CEO Okulov confirmed that the existing Airbus order "would not be affected".

Aeroflot Bonus

Aeroflot Bonus is Aeroflot's frequent flyer program. It has three levels:

Aeroflot Bonus Levels

Level	Benefits	Requirements	SkyTeam Status
Regular	No benefits on Regular Level	Travelers can start their participation in Aeroflot Bonus Programme from the age of 2 (Aeroflot Junior)
Silver	Tier Bonus Miles - 25% of the flown distance Preferred Seating Priority Check-In Extra 10kgs baggage allowance or 1 piece on routes where piece concept systems is applicable (Only on Aeroflot regular flights) Boarding with first and business class passengers Priority reservation waitlisting	25,000 miles (40,000 km) or 25 flight segments during calendar year	Elite
Gold	Tier Bonus Miles - 50% of the flown distance Priority Check-In The opportunity "Comfort +" is given free of charge Extra 20kgs baggage allowance or 2 piece on routes where piece concept systems is applicable (Only on Aeroflot regular flights) Preferred Seating Lounge Access Invite a traveling companion to Business Class lounges Priority Airport Standby High priority waitlisting (above Silver) Boarding with first and business class passangers Priority Baggage Handling	50,000 miles (80,000 km) or 50 flight segments during calendar year	Elite Plus

Codeshare agreements

As of November 2009, Aeroflot has codeshare agreements with the following airlines:

Air Europa Air France Air India Air Malta airBaltic Alitalia Adria Airways Belavia

Bulgaria Air Cathay Pacific China Southern Cubana Cyprus Airways Czech Airlines Donavia Estonian Air

Finnair Iran Air Jat Airways KLM Korean Air LOT Polish Airlines Malév Hungarian Airlines

MIAT Mongolian Airlines Nordavia Rossiya Scandinavian Airlines TAROM Tatarstan Airlines Vladivostok Air

Incidents and accidents

There are records of approximately 127 accidents involving Aeroflot aircraft and 6,875 fatalities (plus 20 people killed on the ground), making an average of 54.13 fatalities per accident since 1953. Until 1991, all civil aviation and aircraft in the Soviet Union, from the An-2 to the Il-86, (as well as some military aircraft), operated with Aeroflot's name on it. This list includes accidents and incidents from Aeroflot-branded aircraft and excludes most accidents and incidents from subsidiaries such as Aeroflot-Nord.

• In 1984, Aeroflot Flight 3352 with 179 onboard, hit three maintenance vehicles while landing in poor visibility and caught fire, killing 178 including 4 from the maintenance vehicles.

• Aeroflot Flight 411, a four-engined Ilyushin Il-62 that was departing Sheremetyevo Airport, Moscow on a flight to Senegal, crashed and was destroyed by fire shortly after take-off.

• On 10 July 1985, the deadliest published accident on Aeroflot occurred at Uchkuduk, Uzbek SSR when a Tu-154B-2 on Aeroflot Flight 7425 crashed killing all 200 aboard.

• On 23 March 1994, an RAL-Russian Airlines Airbus A310-304, operating Aeroflot Flight 593 from Moscow-Hong Kong crashed in Mezhdurechensk, Kemerovo Oblast, Russia after the auto-pilot partially shut off while the captain's 15-year-old son was allowed to sit in the pilot seat and "use" the controls.

• On 14 September 2008, Boeing 737-500, Aeroflot Flight 821 crashed. The flight was operated by Aeroflot-Nord in a service agreement with Aeroflot. The air traffic controller noted that the plane was climbing and descending erratically. He instructed the plane to abort the approach and to line back up with the runway. The plane confirmed that everything was fine but continued its approach. ATC again instructed it to abort the approach and to contact another controller. The plane again did not follow its instructions and the first controller checked back in with the flight and told it to go around. The plane crashed into railroad tracks in the city of Perm in the Ural region of Russia. There were no survivors .

Controversies

• In the 1990s 252 million dollars, belonging to Aeroflot, were considered to have been illegally transferred to the bank account of a Swiss company "Andava", led by Boris Berezovsky and Aeroflot's top-managers.

• Aeroflot leased an Antonov An-124 from the Russian airline "Ayaks". The plane crashed while approaching the Turin airport, and "Ayaks" demands a 70 million dollars compensation from the national carrier.

Further reading

• "Aeroflot: An Airline and its Aircraft," from Paladwr Press, Oct 1992 by R.E.G. Davies, (Curator of Air Transport at the Smithsonian), ISBN 0962648310, ISBN 978-0962648311
• "Aeroflot: Soviet air transport since 1923" Putnam (1975) Hugh MacDonald, ISBN 0370001176, ISBN 978-0370001173

External links

• Template:En icon Official website
• Template:Ru icon Official website
• Template:Ru icon Aeroflot 80th anniversary website