Aeroflot

Aeroflot—Russian Airlines
Аэрофлот—Российские авиалинии

IATA ICAO Callsign SU AFL AEROFLOT
Founded	February 9, 1923 (1923-02-09)
Commenced operations	July 15, 1923 (1923-07-15)
Hubs	Sheremetyevo International Airport
Frequent-flyer program	Aeroflot Bonus
Alliance	SkyTeam
Subsidiaries	Donavia (100%) Jetallians Vostok Aeroflot-Cargo
Fleet size	104 (+217 orders)
Destinations	97
Parent company	Government of Russia (51%)
Headquarters	Moscow, Russia
Key people	Vitaly Gennadevich Saveliev (General Director) Viktor Petrovich Ivanov(Chairman) Aleksandr Yuryevich Zurabov (First Deputy General Director)
Website	www.aeroflot.ru

OJSC “Aeroflot–Russian Airlines” (Russian: ОАО «Аэрофлот-Российские авиалинии»–Aeroflót-Rossíĭskie avialíniĭ) (MCX: AFLT MCX: AFLT), commonly known as Aeroflot ([Аэрофлот] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help), English translation: "air fleet"), is the flag carrier and largest airline of the Russian Federation, based on passengers carried per year. Aeroflot operates domestic and international passenger services covering a network of 97 cities in 48 countries, mainly from its hub at Sheremetyevo International Airport, under the IATA airline designator SU and the ICAO airline designator AFL. The airline's callsign is AEROFLOT.

Headquartered in Arbat District, Central Administrative Okrug, Moscow, Aeroflot is one of the oldest airlines in the world, tracing its history back to 1923. In 1956, it became the first airline to successfully operate regular jet airliner services with the Tupolev Tu-104.

During the Soviet era, Aeroflot was the Soviet national airline and the largest airline in the world. Following 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. It is 51%-owned by the Russian Government, as of June 2011. The company completely owns Donavia since early 2007, when it boosted its participation in the Rostov-on-Don–based airline —then-named Aeroflot-Don— from 51% to 100%.

Aeroflot has embarked on a fleet modernisation program, extensive route restructuring, and an image overhaul. The airline joined SkyTeam in April 2006, becoming the 10th member of the alliance.

History

Formation

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

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 ([Добролёт, English translation: "voluntary flight" a short form of "The Russian Society of Voluntary Air Fleet"] Error: {{Lang-xx}}: text has italic markup (help)) 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 ([Главное управление Гражданского воздушного флота (ГУ ГВФ)] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)), 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] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)) and the DC-3 Dakota manufactured under license in USSR since before the war. For mail delivery the U-2 ([У-2] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)), renamed from 1944 Po-2 ([По-2] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)) became the single most used type, serving in other roles such as medical evacuation as S-1 ([C-1] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)) 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 a 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 9 May 1945.

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.

Aeroflot's famous "Winged Hammer and Sickle" logo

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 15 September 1983 until 2 August 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 amassed a fleet equal to that of the largest American carriers combined.

Flag

In 1992, following the dissolution 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 Airways, Air Moldova 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

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

Aeroflot UK office, 70 Piccadilly

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 operational 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.

Recent developments

Ilyushin Il-96 in one of the previous Aeroflot liveries

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.

Tupolev Tu-154 in Sheremetyevo, Moscow 2004.

Airbus A310 of Aeroflot at 1994 in one of the previous Aeroflot liveries

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.

Its fleet has been upgraded to include A320/A319 jet planes for short-haul flights in Europe and Boeing 767 and Airbus A330 jet 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 an expansion on the domestic market was undertaken, 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 29 July 2004 a new corporate slogan was adopted: "Sincerely Yours. Aeroflot".

On 14 April 2006 Aeroflot became the first air carrier in the former Soviet Union to join a global alliance, SkyTeam. and occupied all of terminal 3 at Sheremetyevo International Airport 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.

Tupolev Tu-154M in a renewed Aeroflot livery. Sheremetyevo Airport

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 improvements, both in its earnings and number of passengers carried. The net profit 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.

In February 2010, the Russian government announced that all regional airlines owned by the state through the holding company 'Rostechnologii' would be consolidated with the national carrier Aeroflot in order to increase the airlines' financial viability. The merger between Rossiya and Aeroflot is expected to be completed by the end of 2010 or early 2011 at the latest.

In December 2010, its deputy chief, Vladimir Smirnov, was dismissed after severe disruption in winter weather.

Destinations

Main article: Aeroflot destinations

As of March 2011, Aeroflot operates scheduled passenger and cargo flights from Sheremetyevo International Airport in Moscow to 49 countries, serving 97 destinations.

Codeshare agreements

As of March 2011, in addition to being part of SkyTeam, Aeroflot has codeshare agreements with the following airlines:

Operating and marketing partner with free sale agreement: AeroSvit airBaltic Air Europa* Alitalia* Bulgaria Air China Southern Airlines* Czech Airlines* Jat Airways Kenya Airways* Korean Air* LOT Polish Airlines (Star Alliance) Malév Hungarian Airlines (Oneworld) MIAT Mongolian Airlines

Operating partner with a free sale agreement: Estonian Air Rossiya (subsidiary) Marketing partner with a free sale agreement: Air Malta Adria Airways (Star Alliance) Donavia* (subsidiary) Nordavia Rossiya (subsidiary) Operating and marketing partner with a block sale arrangement: Cyprus Airways Finnair (Oneworld)

Marketing partner with a block sale arrangement: Belavia Operating partner with a block sale arrangement: Air India Air France* Cubana Emirates Iran Air TAROM*

* SkyTeam member

Fleet

Airbus A320-200

Boeing 767-300ER at Toronto Pearson

Meal in Economy class

Passenger

For most of its history, Aeroflot's fleet consisted entirely of planes built by Soviet 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 models.

As of September 2011, the Aeroflot fleet includes the following aircraft:

Aeroflot Fleet

Aircraft	In Fleet	Orders	Passengers			Notes
			B	E	Total
Airbus A319-100	15	1	20	96	116
Airbus A320-200	42	7	20	120	140
Airbus A321-200	18	8	28	142	170
Airbus A330-200	5	—	34	207	241
Airbus A330-300	7	9	34	268	302	VQ-BCQ wearing SkyTeam livery
Airbus A350-800	—	18	TBA
Airbus A350-900	—	4	TBA
Boeing 737-700	—	15	TBA			Expected EIS: 2013; to be leased from Rostechnology
Boeing 737-800	—	25	TBA
Boeing 737-900ER	—	10	TBA
Boeing 767-300ER	9	—	30	188	218
Boeing 777-200ER	—	2	TBA
Boeing 777-300ER	—	14	TBA			Expected EIS: 2012
Boeing 787-8	—	26	TBA
Ilyushin Il-96-300	6	—	22	260	282
Irkut MS-21	—	50	TBA
Sukhoi Superjet 100-95	2	28	12	75	87
Total	104	217

Cargo

Main article: Aeroflot-Cargo

According to the British newspaper The Guardian, the Aeroflot board announced on 7 May 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.

Retired

The now retired Tupolev TU-154M at Dublin Airport in 1993.

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.

On 15 September 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.

Aeroflot's Tu-144 in museum

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 15 September.

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 1 November 1977 Aeroflot started to use the Tupolev Tu-144, the world's first civil supersonic aircraft, on its regular route from Moscow (Domodedovo International Airport) to Alma-Ata (now Almaty, Kazakhstan).The flights with a range of 3,260 km were performed at an altitude of 16,000- 17,000 m and at a speed of 2,300 km/h. The capacity did not exceed 80 persons. This service was performed once a week until the end of service in June 1978 when it was suspended from passenger service. 55 flights were executed and 3,284 passengers were carried.

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.

31 December 20067 Aeroflot retired the last Tupolev 134s after 40 years; the last flight serviced the Kaliningrad–Moscow route.

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

Aeroflot Mainline past fleet since 1954

Aircraft	Introduced	Retired	Notes
Airbus A310	1992	2005
Airbus A319	2003
Airbus A320	2003
Airbus A321	2004
Airbus A330-200	2008
Airbus A330-300	2009
Boeing 737–300	2008	2009	cargo aircraft
Boeing 737–400	1998	2004
Boeing 767–300	1994
Boeing 777	1998	2005	aircraft leased from Boeing
McDonnell Douglas DC-10	1995	2009	cargo aircraft
McDonnell Douglas MD-11	2008	-	cargo aircraft
Ilyushin Il-12	1947	1970
Ilyushin Il-14	1954	?
Ilyushin Il-18	1958	?
Ilyushin Il-62	1967	2005
Ilyushin Il-76	1979	2004	cargo aircraft
Ilyushin Il-86	1980	2006
Ilyushin Il-96	1993
Tupolev Tu-104	1956	1979
Tupolev Tu-114	1958	1976
Tupolev Tu-124	1962	1967
Tupolev Tu-134	1967	2008	replaced Tu-124
Tupolev Tu-144	1977	1978
Tupolev Tu-154	1968	2009
Tupolev Tu-204	1990	2005
Antonov An-2	1948	?
Antonov An-10	1959	1973
Antonov An-24	1962	?
Antonov An-124	1980	2000	cargo aircraft
Yakovlev Yak-40	1966	?
Yakovlev Yak-42	1980	?

Fleet expansion

• 
  Tu-154 livery in 1973-1992
• 
  Tu-154 livery in 1998-2005
• 
  Tu-154 livery in 2005-2009
• 
  Il-96 livery in 1992-2003
• 
  A-320 livery since 2006
• 
  Yak-40 livery in 1964-1989
• 
  Tu-104 livery in 1953-1975
• 
  Tu-134 livery in 1965-1978

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 Dreamliner.

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 22 March 2007, Aeroflot signed an agreement with Airbus for the delivery of 22 Airbus 350-800/900 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".

In July 2010, Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin pressured Aeroflot to buy Russian-made aircraft for future expansion and fleet renewal. On 1 September 2010, Aeroflot announced that it had plans to order a total of 126 Russian-built aircraft by 2020. The aircraft to be purchased are Irkut MS-21s, Sukhoi Superjet 100s, Antonov An-140s, and Antonov An-148s. The aircraft are to be used for fleet replacement in Aeroflot, as well as six other airlines of which Aeroflot is taking control.

Frequent flyer program

Aeroflot Bonus logo

Aeroflot uses Aeroflot Bonus as their 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 10 kg 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 20 kg 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 passengers Priority Baggage Handling	50,000 miles (80,000 km) or 50 flight segments during calendar year	Elite Plus

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. Hanoi via Moscow from Heathrow tend to be the worst affected route. This list includes accidents and incidents from Aeroflot-branded aircraft and excludes most accidents and incidents from subsidiaries such as Aeroflot-Nord.

• On 16 November 1967, while taking off from Koltsovo Airport, one of the engines of an Ilyushin Il-18 caught fire. Just 200 meters above the ground, the crew lost control and the plane crashed. All 8 crew and 122 passengers were killed.

• On 5 March 1970, Lisunov Li-2 CCCP-58340 was damaged beyond economic repair when it departed the runway on take-off from Ust-Kut Airport.

• On 16 October 1970, Lisunov Li-2 CCCP-84777 crashed on take-off from Leshukonskoye Airport, Arkhangelsk. The aircraft was overloaded and its centre of gravity was beyond the aft limit.

• On 3 May 1973, Lisunov Li-2 CCCP-04244 fell through the ice in Antarctica at 82°15′S 125°00′W whilst taxiing. The aircraft was subsequently deliberately destroyed for security reasons.

• On 10 October 1973, Lisunov Li-2 CCCP-71209 crashed on take-off from Dashoguz Airport, Turkmenistan on a cargo flight to Darvaza Airport following a double engine failure. All five people on board were killed.

• On 1 June 1976, Aeroflot Flight 418 was a Tupolev Tu-154 crashed into mountain in Equatorial Guinea killing all 45 passengers and crew on board.

• On 6 July 1982, 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 11 October 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.

• 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, a RAL-Russian Airlines Airbus A310-304, operating Aeroflot Flight 593 from Moscow-Hong Kong crashed with 75 passengers 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 handle the controls. There were no survivors.

• 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 and 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.

See also

• List of airports in Russia
• S7 Airlines
• Transport in Russia
• Transportation in the Soviet Union

References

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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 978-0-9626483-1-1
• Aeroflot: Soviet air transport since 1923 Putnam (1975) Hugh MacDonald, ISBN 978-0-370-00117-3

External links

• Template:En icon Template:Ru icon Official website