S7 Airlines
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File:Logo S7Airlines 500x195.gif | |||||||
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Founded | May 1992 (founded as Sibir) | ||||||
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Hubs | |||||||
Focus cities | |||||||
Frequent-flyer program | S7 Priority | ||||||
Alliance | Oneworld | ||||||
Fleet size | 51 | ||||||
Destinations | 87 | ||||||
Headquarters | Novosibirsk, Russia, Russia | ||||||
Key people | Vladimir Obyedkov (General Director) | ||||||
Website | www.s7.ru |
OJSC Siberia Airlines (Russian: ОАО «Авиакомпания „Сибирь“» "ОАО Aviakompania Sibir"), operating as S7 Airlines, is an airline headquartered in Novosibirsk Oblast, Russia,[1][2] with offices in Moscow.[3] S7 Airlines has been Russia's fastest-growing airline and recently passed Aeroflot as Russia's largest domestic airline.[4]
S7 has operated scheduled passenger flights to destinations in Russia, as well as international services to Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, PR China, Czech Republic, Egypt, Georgia, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Montenegro, Korea (South), Spain, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Ukraine and the United Arab Emirates. Its main bases and hubs have included Moscow Domodedovo International Airport (DME) and Novosibirsk Tolmachevo Airport (OVB), with a further hub at Irkutsk Airport (IKT), Irkutsk. After 2004, it became the largest domestic route airline network in Russia.
History
Siberia Airlines was established in May 1992, in Novosibirsk, Russia. The Aeroflot Tolmachevo United Avia Squadron (Russian: Толмачевский объединенный авиаотряд) dates back to 12 July 1957 when it accomplished the first flight from Moscow to Novosibirsk. Sibir Airlines was formed around this air squadron. Since 2005 Sibir flies under the S7 Airlines brand. The first international flight was in 1991 to Harbin, PR China.
In 1994, the airline joined IATA. Also in 1994, the company became an open joint stock company and started its first international route (as Sibir Airlines) from Novosibirsk to Frankfurt, Germany.
In the first half of the 1990s, Siberia Airlines was a medium-sized regional airline, like many others created from former Aeroflot divisions. Operations were mainly focused on domestic flights from Novosibirsk.
Template:J grown mainly through a series of mergers with smaller regional airlines. In 1999, it opened its Moscow branch at Vnukovo Airport. The charter flights program from Moscow Sheremetyevo International Airport followed in 2000.
In 2001, the airline acquired one of the major Moscow-market players, Vnukovo Airlines based at Vnukovo Airport.
Since 2002, all Moscow flights have been operated from Domodedovo International Airport, the biggest hub of the company. The company initiated a close partnership with Armavia, acquiring 70% of that company's shares by 2005. Sibir Airlines' crews operated Armavia Airbus A320s on flights from Yerevan, Armenia to Moscow and Novosibirsk.[citation needed]
In 2004, the airline absorbed Chelyabinsk Airlines.[5]
In March 2005, Siberia Airlines rolled out its new livery featuring a marketing strategy focusing on the brand name "S7", its two-letter IATA code designator. Both the branding and livery were created by London-based brand consultancy firm Landor Associates. The airline also embarked on an advertising campaign, also with Landor Associates, using the slogan "Свобода выбирать" (Freedom to Choose).
In the aftermath of the S7 Airlines Flight 778 air crash at Irkutsk in July 2006, it was reported that the Russian Government's 25.5% stake in the airline may be passed to Aeroflot Russian Airlines, as part of a consolidation programme within the Russian aviation industry. It is claimed that the above crash may speed up this process.[who?][citation needed]
In December 2006, the airline became the second Russian air carrier to complete, and pass, the IATA International Safety Audit (IOSA), which is the first global air safety standard. On 27 September 2007, OAO Sibir Airlines /S7 Airlines/ received an official notice of IATA when the carrier was entered in the register of operators IOSA.[6]
It was announced in April 2007 that a new division had been set up within the airline, called Globus. This division was to focus on charter flights for tourists to foreign holiday destinations. Initially, the aircraft for this division would be used from within the mainstream fleet, but during 2010–2014, 10 Boeing 737–800 aircraft were to be leased with an all-economy layout, followed by an option for a further 10 more after this period.[7]
On 29 May 2007, the airline announced a proposed order for 15 Boeing 787 Dreamliner scheduled for delivery in 2014, with an option for 10 additional aircraft.[8] However, the order was officially canceled on 29 January 2009, with S7 stating that it is considering the possibility of taking the aircraft under a leasing scheme.[9]
S7 Airlines ranked second in the Russian international market and first in the domestic market. The airline carried 5.6 million passengers in 2009, including 3.5 million passengers on flights within Russia.
Airline alliance
It was announced on 26 May 2009, that S7 Airlines would be joining the Oneworld alliance in 2010, sponsored by British Airways. S7 became a member of Oneworld on 15 November 2010, as the first Russian airline to join Oneworld and second to join an alliance, after Aeroflot had entered SkyTeam in 2006.
Destinations
Codeshare agreements
S7 Airlines has codeshare agreements with the following airlines:[10]
Frequent flyer partners
Fares/Ticketing
In line with an IATA resolution, from December 2006 the airline began to publish its fares for international destinations originating in Russia in Euros, rather than US dollars. This resulted in a fare increase, as the conversion rate used was 1 Euro = 1 US Dollar. Fuel surcharges were also published in euros. Its domestic fares were still to be shown in the local currency.[16]
Fleet
Current fleet
The S7 Airlines fleet consists of the following aircraft (as of December 2012):[17][18]
Aircraft | Total | Orders | Options | Passengers | Notes | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
C | Y | Total | |||||
Airbus A310 | 1 | — | — | 12 | 243 | 255 | |
Airbus A319-100 | 20 | — | — | 8 | 120 | 128 | |
Airbus A320-200 | 15 | 14 | — | 8 | 150 | 158 | |
156 | 164 | ||||||
Boeing 737–400 | 4 | — | — | 8 | 141 | 149 | |
Boeing 737–800 NG | 9 | 8[19] | 10 | 12 | 148 | 160 | 4 operated for Globus |
Boeing 767-300ER | 2 | 0 | — | 18 | 222 | 240 | |
12 | 240 | 252 | |||||
Total | 51 | 22 | 10 |
At March 2011, the average age of the S7 Airlines Boeing and Airbus fleet was 9.5 years.[20]
The first western aircraft, Airbus A310, were acquired in 2004. In summer 2004 during the Farnborough Airshow, the company had signed a memorandum of intention to purchase 50 of the new Sukhoi Russian Regional Jet, with the first plane to be delivered in 2007. However, the airline subsequently dropped its plans to order this aircraft, citing that the aircraft's changed specifications no longer met its requirements.[21]
The 16 leased Airbus A319 aircraft were previously operating for Northwest Airlines. They were in service for S7 since summer 2006.[22]
The airline is in discussions to acquire the new version of the Tupolev Tu-204, the Tupolev Tu-204SM. S7 has agreed to a memorandum of understanding with lessor Ilyushin-Finance, for 15 of the new aircraft, with five to be delivered each in 2009, 2010 and 2012.[23]
As of November 2008, all Soviet-made aircraft had left the fleet.[24]
Historical fleet
At different times, the S7 Airlines fleet has consisted of the following aircraft:[25]
Aircraft | Years of Operation |
Notes |
---|---|---|
Airbus A310-200 | 2004—2010 | 5 now stored |
Airbus A310-300 | 2004—2011 | 3 now stored, one written off, |
Airbus A319-100 | 2006— | |
Airbus A320-200 | 2008— | One sold to Armavia, 9 still in operation |
Boeing 737–400* | 2006—2008 | To Globus |
Boeing 737–500* | 2005—2009 | 3 sold to Air Ivoire and 7 to Aero Contractors |
Boeing 737–800 | 2008— | |
Boeing 767-300ER | 2008— | |
Ilyushin Il-86 | 1992—2008 | |
Tupolev Tu-154B-2 | 1992—2004 | All written off in 2004 |
Tupolev Tu-154M | 1992—2008 | 3 to Globus, 2 written off. |
Tupolev Tu-204-100 | 1992—2005 |
Incidents and accidents
- As Siberia Airlines
- On 4 October 2001, Siberia Airlines Flight 1812, a Tupolev Tu-154M, registration RA-85693, en route from Tel Aviv to Novosibirsk crashed into the Black Sea off Sochi, after an unexplained midair self-destruction.
- On 24 August 2004, Siberia Airlines Flight 1047, a Tupolev Tu-154B2, registration RA-85556, en route from Moscow to Sochi exploded and crashed due to a terrorist bombing near Rostov-on-Don, Russia, killing all 46 people on board.
- As S7 Airlines
- On 9 July 2006, S7 Airlines Flight 778, an Airbus A310 carrying 193 passengers and 10 crew members, suffered a landing accident at the Irkutsk International Airport in Siberia. The jet failed to decelerate on landing, overran the runway and crashed into a concrete barricade. 124 people died.[26][27]
Subsidiaries
Sibir Technics LCC is a subsidiary of S7, located on the grounds of Tolmachevo Airport.[28]
See also
References
- ^ "Talk to Us." S7 Airlines. Retrieved on 21 June 2010. "Legal Department, S7 AIRLINES, Ob-2, Novosibirsk Region, 633102, Russia "
- ^ "Головной офис Россия 633104 Обь-4 Новосибирская обл" (in Russian). S7 Airlines. Retrieved 4 October 2009.
- ^ "Headquarters." S7 Airlines. Retrieved on 4 October 2009.
- ^ "Russian airline growth slows from over 20% to under 5%; S7 extends lead over Aeroflot in domestic market". anna.aero. 2008-10-03.
- ^ Artem Fetisov On the Mend, November 1, 2006, Air Transport World
- ^ "S7 Airlines Successfully Completed IATA Operational Safety Audit and was Awarded IOSA Certificate" (Press release). S7 Airlines. 2 October 2007. Retrieved 17 November 2010.
- ^ "S7 Сharter начнёт эксплуатацию самолётов нового поколения Boeing 737–800" (in Russian). S7 Airlines. Retrieved 17 November 2010.
- ^ Announcement by Boeing of Dreamliner order 29th May 2007.
- ^ Zaitsev, Tom (2009-01-29). "S7 confirms 787 cancellation but considers lease instead". Flight Global. Retrieved 17 November 2010.
- ^ "Код-шеринговые соглашения". S7 Airlines.
- ^ "Авиакомпании S7 Airlines и Asiana Airlines открывают совместные рейсы в Сеул". Aviation Explorer. 16 November 2012. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
- ^ Mutzabaugh, Ben (1 February 2011). "Aviation Photos & Video". USA Today.
- ^ "El Al signs code-share agreement with S7 Siberian Airlines". Port2Port. 2010-11-15. Retrieved 15 November 2010.
- ^ "JAL and Russia's S7 Airlines Launch Codeshare Cooperation". Press Release. Japan Airlines. Retrieved 28 January 2013.
- ^ "Авиакомпания "Ямал" заключила код-шеринговые соглашения с S7 и "ВИМ-Авиа"". Interfax. 13 December 2012. Retrieved 14 December 2012.
- ^ "IATA converts fares to euros" (Press release). S7 Airlines. 2006-11-15. Retrieved 17 November 2010.
- ^ "Our Fleet". S7 Airlines. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
- ^ "Авиакомпания S7 Airlines рассказала, куда полетит этой зимой". «Турбизнес». 23 October 2012. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
- ^ Boeing orders and deliveries report for S7 Airlines
- ^ Airline Fleet Age S7 Airlines
- ^ Flight Global 7 February 2006
- ^ Flight Global 28 March 2006
- ^ Flight International 27 March 2007
- ^ "Флот S7" (in Russian). S7 Airlines.
- ^ Sibir Airlines S7 Fleet | Airfleets aviation. Airfleets.net. Retrieved on 2010-11-16.
- ^ Passenger plane crashes in Russia BBC News 9 July 2006
- ^ '150 dead' in Russian jet crash CNN, 8 July 2006
- ^ "Sibir Technics." S7 Airlines. Retrieved on 21 June 2010.