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Nordwind Airlines

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Not to be confused with Northwest Airlines, China Northwest Airlines, or Northwestern Air.
Nordwind Airlines
Северный ветер
Nordwind Airlines A330 in standard livery
IATA ICAO Call sign
N4 NWS NORDLAND
Founded2008; 17 years ago (2008)
Operating basesSheremetyevo International Airport
SubsidiariesPegas Fly
Fleet size27
Destinations74
Parent companyPegas Touristik[1]
HeadquartersMoscow, Russia
Key peopleShvetsov Igor (general director)[2]
Websitenordwindairlines.ru

Nordwind Airlines, LLC (Russian: ООО Северный ветер, romanized: Severný veter) is a Russian leisure airline. The company is headquartered in Moscow,[3] and its hub is at Sheremetyevo International Airport. Nordwind Airlines primarily operates service between airports in Russia and holiday destinations around Europe and Asia.[4][failed verification] It is banned from flying in the European Union.[5]

History

[edit]

Nordwind Airlines was founded in August 2008 by the Russian and Turkish branches of tour operator Pegas Touristik and initially operated three Boeing 757-200s.[6]

The number of passengers transported was as follows:[7]

Year Passengers
2008 20,000
2009 555,000
2010 1.2 million
2011 1.7 million
2012 2.2 million
2013 3.4 million
2014 4.4 million
2015 2.6 million
2016 1.7 million
2017 3.5 million
2018 4.9 million
2019 5.5 million
2020 2.9 million
2021 5.9 million [8]

On April 29, 2013, two surface-to-air missiles were fired by unknown forces in Syria at a Nordwind Airlines jet flying from Sharm El Sheikh to Kazan. The pilots took evasive action and the plane continued onto Kazan undamaged.[9]

In 2017, the airline acquired two used A330s.[10]

The Wall Street Journal reported that Nordwind transported approximately 7.4 tons of gold with a market value over $300 million from Venezuela to a refinery near the airport in Entebbe, Uganda. These March 2019 shipments allegedly expose a global underground economy the United States government suspects helps Nicolás Maduro stay in power in Venezuela.[11]

Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine Nordwind suspended all international flights.[12] A number of leased aircraft, located abroad when the invasion took place have been returned to the lessors.[13] The US Commerce Department, who had previously sanctioned US manufactured aircraft, extended sanctions to the European manufactured Airbus aircraft in Nordwind's fleet in August 2022.[citation needed] Sanctions have also banned Nordwind receiving spare parts for their planes.[14]

Destinations

[edit]
Nordwind Airlines Airbus A321-200
Nordwind Airlines Airbus A330-200
Nordwind Airlines Boeing 737-800
Nordwind Airlines Boeing 777-200ER

In 2021 Nordwind serves 98 destinations in 28 countries including nine countries and 23 cities in Europe, eight countries and 12 cities in the Middle East and Africa, four countries and four cities in South America, and six countries and 14 cities in Asia.

Country City Airport Notes Refs
Albania Tirana Tirana International Airport Nënë Tereza Terminated [15]
Armenia Yerevan Zvartnots International Airport Terminated
Azerbaijan Baku Heydar Aliyev International Airport Terminated
Lankaran Lankaran Airport Terminated
Belarus Minsk Minsk National Airport Terminated
Cuba Cayo Coco Cayo Coco Airport Seasonal charter [16]
Holguín Frank País Airport Seasonal charter [17]
Santa Clara Abel Santamaría Airport Terminated
Varadero Juan Gualberto Gómez Airport Seasonal charter
Camaguey Ignacio Agramonte Airport Terminated
Cyprus Larnaca Larnaca International Airport Terminated [15]
Dominican Republic Puerto Plata Gregorio Luperón International Airport Terminated
Punta Cana Punta Cana International Airport Terminated
Samaná Samaná El Catey International Airport Terminated
Santo Domingo Las Américas International Airport Terminated
Egypt Hurghada Hurghada International Airport Terminated
Sharm El Sheikh Sharm El Sheikh International Airport Terminated
Germany Berlin Berlin Brandenburg Airport Terminated [18]
Düsseldorf Düsseldorf Airport Terminated [18]
Hanover Hannover Airport Terminated [19][18]
Greece Athens Athens International Airport Terminated [20]
Heraklion Heraklion International Airport Terminated [20]
Thessaloniki Thessaloniki Airport Terminated [20]
India Goa Dabolim Airport Terminated
Iran Tehran Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport Terminated
Jamaica Montego Bay Sangster International Airport Terminated
Jordan Aqaba King Hussein International Airport Terminated
Kazakhstan Almaty Almaty International Airport Terminated [21]
Kyrgyzstan Bishkek Manas International Airport
Maldives Male Velana International Airport Terminated
Mexico Cancún Cancún International Airport Terminated
North Korea Pyongyang Pyongyang International Airport Seasonal [22][23][24][25]
North Macedonia Skopje Skopje International Airport Terminated [26][27]
Russia Blagoveshchensk Ignatyevo Airport
Cheboksary Cheboksary International Airport
Chelyabinsk Chelyabinsk Airport [28]
Irkutsk International Airport Irkutsk
Ivanovo Ivanovo Airport Seasonal [29]
Kaliningrad Khrabrovo Airport Focus city [30]
Kazan Ğabdulla Tuqay Kazan International Airport Hub [31][32]
Khabarovsk Khabarovsk Novy Airport
Kirov Pobedilovo Airport Seasonal [33]
Krasnodar Krasnodar International Airport Begins 11 November 2025 [32]
Krasnoyarsk Krasnoyarsk International Airport
Magnitogorsk Magnitogorsk International Airport [34]
Makhachkala Uytash Airport Focus city [35][36][37]
Mineralnye Vody Mineralnye Vody Airport
Moscow Sheremetyevo International Airport Hub
Nizhnekamsk Begishevo Airport
Nizhnevartovsk Nizhnevartovsk Airport Terminated [38][28]
Novosibirsk Tolmachevo Airport
Omsk Omsk Tsentralny Airport [28]
Orenburg Orenburg Tsentralny Airport [39]
Perm Perm International Airport [28]
Rostov-on-Don Platov International Airport Terminated
Saint Petersburg Pulkovo Airport Focus city
Samara Kurumoch International Airport [40]
Saransk Saransk Airport Terminated [41]
Saratov Saratov Gagarin Airport [30]
Sochi Adler-Sochi International Airport Focus city
Surgut Farman Salmanov Surgut Airport [37][42]
Syktyvkar Syktyvkar Airport Terminated [34][43]
Tyumen Roshchino International Airport [44]
Ufa Mustai Karim Ufa International Airport Focus city [45]
Ulyanovsk Ulyanovsk Baratayevka Airport [30]
Volgograd Volgograd International Airport
Yakutsk Yakutsk Airport [31]
Yekaterinburg Koltsovo International Airport [36]
Ukraine[A 1] Simferopol Simferopol International Airport Terminated [46]
Saudi Arabia Jeddah King Abdulaziz International Airport Terminated
Serbia Belgrade Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport Terminated
Spain Barcelona Barcelona–El Prat Airport Terminated [27]
Girona Girona Airport Terminated [27]
Palma de Mallorca Palma de Mallorca Airport Terminated [27]
Reus Reus Airport Terminated [27]
Tanzania Zanzibar Abeid Amani Karume International Airport Terminated
Tajikistan Bokhtar Bokhtar International Airport
Dushanbe Dushanbe International Airport [44]
Khujand Khujand Airport [45][39][44]
Thailand Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport Terminated
Krabi Krabi International Airport Terminated
Pattaya U-Tapao International Airport Terminated
Phuket Phuket International Airport Seasonal charter
Surat Thani Surat Thani International Airport Terminated
Tunisia Djerba Djerba–Zarzis International Airport Terminated
Monastir Monastir Habib Bourguiba International Airport Terminated
Turkey Antalya Antalya Airport Terminated
Dalaman Dalaman Airport Terminated
İzmir İzmir Adnan Menderes Airport Terminated
Istanbul Istanbul Airport Once monthly
United Arab Emirates Dubai Al Maktoum International Airport Terminated
Sharjah Sharjah International Airport Terminated [47]
Uzbekistan Fergana Fergana International Airport Terminated
Namangan Namangan Airport Terminated
Qarshi Qarshi Airport Terminated
Samarqand Samarqand International Airport Terminated
Urgench Urgench International Airport Terminated
Venezuela Porlamar Santiago Mariño Caribbean International Airport Terminated [48]
Vietnam Nha Trang Cam Ranh International Airport Seasonal charter [49]
  1. ^ Disputed. See Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation.

Codeshare agreements

[edit]

In March 2025 Belavia and Nordwind Airlines signed a codeshare agreement to operate connection flights through Kazan Airport and Pulkovo Airport.[50]

Fleet

[edit]

As of August 2025, Nordwind Airlines operates the following aircraft:[51]

Nordwind Airlines fleet
Aircraft In service Orders Passengers Notes
C Y Total
Airbus A321-200 5 — — 220 220
Airbus A321neo 2 — — 218 218
Airbus A330-200 2 — — 361 361 [28]
Airbus A330-300 3 — 34 259 293 [28]
Boeing 737-800 11 — 12 156 168 VP-BSA returned to Ireland
VP-BDU returned to lessor
— 189 189
Boeing 777-200ER 2 — — 440 440
Boeing 777-300ER 2 — 6 480 486 VP-BJP returned to the USA and was converted into a freighter.
— 486 486
Irkut MC-21-300 — 5[52] TBA
Total 27 5

In 2022, Air Lease Corporation were seeking to recover two A321neo and four Boeing 737-800s, as the lease payments were not being made.[citation needed]

The fleet previously included the following aircraft:

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Russia's Nordwind to lease three B737-800s from CBD". ch-aviation. 5 August 2018. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
  2. ^ "Nordwind: Senior Management". Archived from the original on 2017-08-15. Retrieved 2017-07-17.
  3. ^ About Nordwind
  4. ^ "Nordwind - Home". Nordwind. Archived from the original on 2013-06-29. Retrieved 2008-09-24.
  5. ^ "The EU Air Safety List - European Commission". transport.ec.europa.eu. Retrieved 2025-02-07.
  6. ^ "Nordwind Airlines (ATDB)". Retrieved 30 November 2017.
  7. ^ About Nordwind
  8. ^ "Passenger traffic at Russian airlines". Retrieved 23 July 2023.
  9. ^ "Missiles Fired At Passenger Jet Over Syria 29 April 2013". Sky News. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
  10. ^ Montag-Girmes, Polina (July 14, 2017). "Russia's Nordwind Airlines expands fleet with two A330s". Air Transport World.
  11. ^ Steinhauser, Gabriele; Bariyo, Nicholas (2019-06-19). "How 7.4 Tons of Venezuela's Gold Landed in Africa—and Vanished". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2019-06-18.
  12. ^ "Nordwind Airlines suspends all international flights". 7 March 2022. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  13. ^ "Five Russian airlines have returned leased jets -document". 1 June 2022.
  14. ^ "BIS renews temporary denial orders against Pobeda, Nordwind & Siberian Airlines". 11 January 2023.
  15. ^ a b "Updated: All the European countries affected by Ukraine travel bans and sanctions so far". Euronews. 28 February 2022.
  16. ^ "Flights to Cuba launch from Pulkovo". pulkovoairport.ru. Air Gate of the Northern Capita. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
  17. ^ Rodríguez, Lourdes Pichs (21 October 2025). "Nordwind Airlines opens route between Moscow and Holguín". ahora.cu. Periódico ¡ahora!. Retrieved 6 November 2025.
  18. ^ a b c "Ukraine invasion: Russian planes face near-total airspace ban to west". BBC. 27 February 2022.
  19. ^ "Nordwind schedules Hannover service from May 2019".
  20. ^ a b c "Greece closes its airspace for Russian airlines". Reuters. 28 February 2022.
  21. ^ "Nordwind schedules new Central Asia service in 2Q19".
  22. ^ "Russia starts first Moscow-Pyongyang passenger flights in decades". Reuters. 26 July 2025. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
  23. ^ "Russia starts direct flights between Moscow and Pyongyang". NBC News. 28 July 2025. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
  24. ^ Jim, Liu (15 September 2025). "Nordwind Airlines Adds Moscow – Pyongyang Business Class Service in Sep 2025". AeroRoutes. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
  25. ^ Liu, Jim (9 October 2025). "Nordwind Airlines Nov/Dec 2025 Moscow – Pyongyang Operations". AeroRoutes. Retrieved 10 October 2025.
  26. ^ https://www.exyuaviation.com/2021/04/norwind-to-launch-skopje-service.html Norwind to launch Skopje Service/
  27. ^ a b c d e "Ukraine travel bans and sanctions: All the countries that have been affected so far". Euronews. 27 February 2022.
  28. ^ a b c d e f Liu, Jim (28 March 2025). "Nordwind Airlines Expands A330 Sochi Service in NS25". AeroRoutes. Retrieved 28 March 2025.
  29. ^ "Аэропорт "Иваново" открывает продажу билетов на новый рейс Иваново – Махачкала!". ivanovo.aero. Аэропорт «Иваново». Retrieved 18 March 2024.
  30. ^ a b c "4 старо-новых прямых рейса в Калининград — из Новосибирска, Кирова, Саратова и Ульяновска | Vandrouki.ru". vandrouki.ru. 29 January 2024. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  31. ^ a b "Кышын Казаннан Кувейт һәм Кытайга авиарейслар җибәрергә планлаштыралар". Казан шәһәренең җирле үзидарә. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
  32. ^ a b Liu, Jim (9 October 2025). "Nordwind Airlines Adds Kazan – Krasnodar Service in NW25". AeroRoutes. Retrieved 10 October 2025.
  33. ^ Magomedov, Shamil (18 March 2024). "Nordwind начнет совершать полеты из Махачкалы в Киров". Travel.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 18 March 2024.
  34. ^ a b "Прямые рейсы в Сочи из Магнитогорска и Сыктывкара запустят в феврале". kub-inform.ru. Кубань Информ. 11 January 2024. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  35. ^ "Дагестан с апреля 2024г увеличит частоту авиарейсов в Санкт-Петербург". РБК (in Russian). 9 February 2024. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
  36. ^ a b "Nordwind начнет летать между Махачкалой и Екатеринбургом". Travel.ru (in Russian). 18 February 2024. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  37. ^ a b Shakhsinova, Sofia (11 February 2025). "Новый прямой рейс свяжет Сургут и Махачкалу" (in Russian). Сетевое издание «Зори Табасарана». Retrieved 12 February 2025.
  38. ^ Kozhevova, Alyona (3 July 2024). "Авиакомпания, открывшая рейс Нижневартовск – Казань, закрывает его спустя месяц — Сетевое издание Вестник - Новости Сургутского района и Югры". vestniksr.ru (in Russian). Вестник Сургутского района. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
  39. ^ a b "Стартовала продажа билетов на рейсы из аэропорта Оренбурга в Худжанд". oren.aero. Orenburg Airport JSC. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  40. ^ "Nordwind будет выполнять рейсы между Махачкалой и Самарой". Travel.ru (in Russian). 20 February 2024. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  41. ^ "Авиарейс из Саранска в Махачкалу планируют запустить в мае 2024 года (АвиаПорт)". АвиаПорт.Ru (in Russian). 19 September 2023. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  42. ^ Liu, Jim (29 August 2025). "Nordwind Airlines Adds Kazan – Surgut in NW25". AeroRoutes. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  43. ^ "Выполнявшая рейсы Сыктывкар — Махачкала авиакомпания досрочно завершила летную программу". БНК (in Russian). 24 June 2024. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
  44. ^ a b c "Nordwind to launch Tyumen-Khujand and Tyumen-Dushanbe services from Nov-2025". centreforaviation.com. News for Airlines, Airports and the Aviation Industry. CAPA. 27 October 2025. Retrieved 30 October 2025.
  45. ^ a b Subbotina, Darya (29 February 2024). "Для жителей Башкирии возобновят прямые регулярные рейсы из Уфы в Худжанд". www.bashinform.ru (in Russian). Bashinform. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  46. ^ Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation
  47. ^ "Nordwind launches sales to Sharjah | Nordwind Airlines". Archived from the original on 2021-01-16. Retrieved 2021-02-24.
  48. ^ "El gobierno ruso autoriza más vuelos hacia Venezuela - Aviacionline.com". 20 September 2021.
  49. ^ "Nordwind Airlines to resume direct Russia-Cam Ranh flights after five-year hiatus". VOV.VN. VOV Voice of Vietnam. 25 September 2025. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  50. ^ Liu, Jim (11 March 2025). "Belavia / Nordwind Airlines Begins Codeshare Service From mid-March 2025". AeroRoutes. Retrieved 11 March 2025.
  51. ^ "Global Airline Guide 2025 - Nordwind Airlines". Airliner World. September 2025. p. 73.
  52. ^ "Russia's Irkut MC-21-300 Performs First Flight | AIN". Aviation International News. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
[edit]

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