Category Archives: Aeroflot Russian Airlines

Aeroflot reduces its Tehran route to only one flight a week

Aeroflot is reducing flight frequencies between Moscow and Tehran to one flight a week on Sundays, beginning March 8, 2020.

Passengers who have already purchased tickets on this route may rebook their tickets for any date up to and including May 31, 2020 for no additional fee.

Aeroflot aircraft photo gallery:

Aeroflot is suspending service to Hong Kong

Aeroflot is temporarily suspending flights to Hong Kong. Flights to Hong Kong will operate until March 7 and from Hong Kong until March 8.

Passengers who booked tickets on or before March 5, 2020 to travel on flights SU212/213 between 8 and 31 March 2020 can:

• change their departure dates;

• obtain a refund for tickets at sales offices where they were purchased. Tickets purchased online can be returned at any of the airline’s sales offices or via the contact centre.

Changes and refunds will not incur additional fees.

Aeroflot aircraft photo gallery:

Aeroflot takes delivery of its first Airbus A350-900

Aeroflot, the Russian flag carrier and member of the SkyTeam alliance, has taken delivery of its first Airbus A350-900, becoming the launch operator of the latest-generation widebody aircraft in Eastern Europe and CIS.

Aeroflot’s A350-900 features a distinctive new livery embracing its almost 100-year heritage.

Aeroflot has a total of 22 A350-900 aircraft on order and operates an Airbus fleet of 126 aircraft (107 A320 Family and 19 A330 Family aircraft).

Aeroflot’s A350-900 features a brand new elegant cabin design, offering unrivalled passenger comfort. The aircraft has a spacious three-class cabin layout with 316 seats: 28 private Business Class suites with full-flat seats, 24 Comfort Class with extra legroom and 264 Economy Class. In addition, the latest-generation Panasonic eX3 in-flight entertainment system, HD screens and Wi-Fi connectivity will ensure enhanced experience for all passengers on long-haul flights. Aeroflot will operate its A350-900 from Moscow to a number of destinations including London, Dubai, New York, Miami, Osaka and Beijing.

At the end of January 2020, the A350 XWB Family had received 935 firm orders from 50 customers worldwide, making it one of the most successful widebody aircraft ever.

Top Copyright Photo: Aeroflot Russian Airlines Airbus A350-941 F-WZGT (VQ-BFZ) (msn 383) TLS (Eurospot). Image: 948950.

Aeroflot aircraft slide show:

Aeroflot to operate flights to/from Iran and South Korea from Terminal F of Sheremetyevo Airport

Aeroflot Russian Airlines has made this announcement:

Beginning March 1, Aeroflot will transfer flights to/from Iran and South Korea to Terminal F of Sheremetyevo International Airport.

The following flights will be operated from Terminal F:

SU 512 Moscow – Tehran / SU 513 Tehran – Moscow
SU 250 Moscow – Seoul / SU 251 Seoul – Moscow

KE 923/924 flights operated in conjunction with Korean Air will also operate from Terminal F.

Aeroflot’s flights from Sheremetyevo to Italian cities will be serviced from terminals that were previously specified in the schedule. Flights arriving from Italy will be serviced at Terminal F.

Aeroflot aircraft photo gallery:

Aeroflot and Japan Airlines agree on a codeshare partnership

Aeroflot – Russian Airlines and Japan Airlines today announced a codeshare agreement that will offer added flexibility to passengers travelling between Russia and Japan. The codeshare comes into effect from March 29, 2020, with ticket sales launching at the beginning of March.

Both airlines will operate daily services between Tokyo (HND) and Moscow (SVO) under the codeshare agreement, as well as on connecting flights to major cities in Russia and Japan, thereby expanding the range of options available to passengers. Japan Airlines will add its “JL” designator codes on 10 major Russian destinations such as St. Petersburg, Kazan and Yekaterinburg. Aeroflot will place its “SU” designator codes on 10 popular Japanese destinations such as Sapporo, Osaka and Fukuoka.

Furthermore, both parties intend to increase codeshare destinations including Aeroflot’s new operation between Osaka (KIX) and Moscow (SVO) scheduled to commence in June 2020.

Aeroflot has operated a daily flight from Moscow to Tokyo since 1967, and is the leading carrier on East-West transit routes between fast-growing markets in Asia and Europe and North America. The Russian flag carrier offers seamless connectivity through its home airport and major hub at Sheremetyevo, as well as award-winning on-board service including menus designed specifically for travelers from countries in Asia.

Japan Airlines has also committedly operated flights between Tokyo and Moscow as the only Japanese carrier for over 50 years. Both partners are delighted to enter the partnership, and hope to contribute further to the market by providing customers with more options and great customer experience.

Operating Carrier	Codeshare Routes
Aeroflot	Japan=Russia route	Haneda=Sheremetyevo
Aeroflot	Russia Domestic route	Sheremetyevo=St. Petersburg Sheremetyevo=Kazan Sheremetyevo=Yekaterinburg Sheremetyevo=Samara Sheremetyevo=Sochi Sheremetyevo=Krasnodar Sheremetyevo=Rostov Sheremetyevo=Nizhny Novgorod Sheremetyevo=Perm Sheremetyevo=Ufa
Japan Airlines	Japan=Russia route	Haneda=Sheremetyevo
Japan Airlines	Japan Domestic route	Haneda=Sapporo Haneda=Nagoya Haneda=Osaka (Itami / Kansai) Haneda=Okayama Haneda=Hiroshima Haneda=Fukuoka Haneda=Nagasaki Haneda=Kumamoto Haneda=Kagoshima Haneda=Okinawa

Aeroflot moves Tokyo flights to Haneda Airport, will add Singapore with the A350

Aeroflot Russian Airlines has made this announcement:

From March 29, 2020 Aeroflot’s flights to and from Tokyo will switch from Narita Airport to Haneda Airport (Terminal 3). It is located just 15 km from Tokyo city center. Travel time from the airport to the city will reduce by almost four times if going by train, and by more than half if travelling by taxi.

Aeroflot operates its daily flights to Tokyo using Boeing 777-300ER aircraft in a three-class configuration – Business Class, Comfort Class (Aeroflot’s premium economy product) and Economy Class.

Starting with the summer 2020 flight schedule Aeroflot will operate daily flights between Moscow and Tokyo on the following timetable (all times local):

Moscow – Tokyo — flight SU260/262/264 departs from Sheremetyevo airport at 19:00 and arrives at Haneda airport at 10:30 the following day;

Tokyo – Moscow — flight SU261/263/265 departs from Haneda airport at 12:15 and arrives at Sheremetyevo airport at 16:05.

In other news, Aeroflot has launched ticket sales for flights to Singapore. Scheduled service on the new route between Moscow and Singapore will begin on October 25, 2020.

Flights will operate on the following schedule (all times local):

Moscow – Singapore

Flight number SU 280 departs Sheremetyevo at 19:40 on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays and arrives in Singapore at 10:55 the following day.

Singapore – Moscow

Flight number SU 281 departs Singapore at 12:30 on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays and arrives in Moscow at 18:30 the same day.

The world’s most modern and fuel-efficient long-haul aircraft, the А350-900, will operate on this route in a three-class configuration – Business Class, Comfort Class (Aeroflot’s premium economy product) and Economy Class.

The addition of Moscow-Singapore service to Aeroflot’s route network strengthens the company’s offering on transit routes to Asia from Europe and North America, which forms a key part of the airline’s strategy. The Russian flag carrier offers convenient and fast transfers through its hub at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport, with total travel times up to three hours shorter than those of competitors in Europe and Asia.

Aeroflot aircraft photo gallery:

Aeroflot announces its fourth quarter and FY 2019 financial results

Aeroflot Russian Airlines has announced its financial results for the fourth quarter (Q4) and full year (FY) ending December 31, 2019 in accordance with Russian Accounting Standards (RAS). RAS results are presented on a non-consolidated basis.

Key results in accordance with RAS, RUB million

	Q4 2018	Q4 2019	Change	FY 2018	FY 2019	Change
Revenue	123,356	129,604	5.1%	504,697	551,767	9.3%
Cost of sales	136,738	130,605	(4.5)%	499,683	542,976	8.7%
Gross income/(loss)	(13,382)	(1,000)	–	5,013	8,791	75.4%
Net income/(loss)	(12,830)	(1,960)	–	2,796	5,287	89.1%

Comments on Q4 and FY 2019 RAS financial results

In 2019, the Company’s growth continued to be accompanied by strict cost control. Market factors including changes in FX rates significantly affected financial results year-on-year.
Revenue for FY 2019 was RUB 551,767, up 9.3% year-on-year. Revenue was affected by increased operational volumes and FX fluctuations (in 2019 the ruble appreciated against the euro by 2.0% year-on-year, and depreciated against US dollar by 3.2%).
- In 2019, the number of flights operated by Aeroflot airline increased by 6.8% leading to a 3.8% increase in passenger turnover, which amounted to 101.6 billion RPKs. Passenger traffic increased by 4.1% to 37.2 million. The main growth factor was expansion of the route network and an increase in flight frequencies.
- Active capacity management resulted in positive trend in RASK (+2.5% year-on-year in FY 2019), which increased notwithstanding the high base effect of 2018, when there was stronger demand backed by world football championship in Russia. FX rates held back growth of RASK in FY 2019.
Cost of sales in FY 2019 was RUB 542,976 million, up 8.7% year-on-year. In addition to factors connected to the growth of the Company, cost of sales continued to be affected by macroeconomic and industry factors.
- In 2019, cost increases were driven mainly by rising airport charges and costs for ground handling services. Total expenses for these services rose by RUB 12,786 million (up 21.0% year-on-year) due to an increase in traffic and tariffs charged by Russian airports.
- Total fuel expenses rose by RUB 1,910 million (up 1.5% year-on-year), following a 7.0% increase in Aeroflot airline’s flight hours. Throughout 2019, the price of kerosene significantly exceeded its average historical levels.
- < >aintenance costs increased due to higher number of maintenance procedures including regular repairs and heavy maintenance in accordance with the existing schedules, upgrades related to improvement in product quality as well as increase in volume of operations and changes in the US dollar rate.Throughout the year management took active measures to improve the Company’s and Group’s financial results and implemented strict cost control. Optimisation measures helped to increase gross income of Aeroflot to RUB 8,791 million (+75.4% year-on-year) as well as to hold the increase in selling costs to just 9.0%, and to reduce administrative costs by 5.3%.
- Q4 2019 significantly contributed to FY 2019 results:
  - Revenue for Q4 2019 was RUB , up 5.1% year-on-year. Revenue was affected by operational growth and FX dynamics, with the ruble appreciating against the euro by 7.1% year-on-year during the quarter. The stronger ruble held back RASK growth, which came in at 5.9% year-on-year.
  - Cost of sales in Q4 2019 decreased by 4.5%, due to ongoing optimisation measures coupled with the strengthening of the ruble against US dollar.
  - Seasonally low winter 2018-2019 period was complemented by jet fuel price and FX factors which resulted in net loss of RUB 16,850 million in Q1 2019. Thanks to measures taken by the management throughout the year the Company compensated these results not only with a strong summer season, but with a significantly better fourth quarter: in Q4 2019, the airline reduced its net loss by 6.5 times from RUB 12,830 million in Q4 2018 to RUB 1,960 million.
- Net income of Aeroflot for FY 2019 increased by 89.1% and amounted to RUB 5,287 million.

International route map:

Top Copyright Photo: Aeroflot Russian Airlines Airbus A350-941 F-WZGT (VQ-BFZ) (msn 383) TLS (Eurospot). Image: 948950.

Aeroflot aircraft slide show:

Aeroflot aircraft photo gallery:

Aeroflot begins phased transition of international flights to Sheremetyevo’s new Terminal C

Aeroflot has begun phasing in operation of international flights from the new Terminal C at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo International Airport. The first departures and arrivals from the terminal will be to/from Helsinki, Dresden and Bucharest.

By mid-June Aeroflot plans to have completed the bulk of the migration to Terminal C. From October, Aeroflot expects to operate 268 international flights from the new terminal. A joint Aeroflot-Sheremetyevo working group was formed to manage the transition and establish a timeline and testing program.

Terminal C, which occupies more than 127,300 square meters at Sheremetyevo’s Northern Terminal Complex, is integrated with Terminal B, to which Aeroflot previously shifted domestic flight operations. Terminal C can accommodate 20 million passengers a year. The rollout of Terminal C, combined with the commissioning of a third runway at Sheremetyevo in September 2019, establish a fundamentally new basis for Aeroflot Group operations.

All photos by the airline.

Aeroflot updates its livery with the first Airbus A350-900 out of the paint shop

Aeroflot Russian Airlines has updated its livery with the first Airbus A350-900 fresh out of the paint shop at Airbus.

The new look adds larger titles and removes the blue underside with the red trim line. The fuselage has also gone from silver to white.

The pictured A350-941 carries the temporary registration of F-WZGT and will become VQ-BFY (msn 383) on delivery. It carries the name of “P. Tchaikovsky”.

Aeroflot aircraft slide show:

Aeroflot aircraft photo gallery:

Poll:

Aeroflot introduces hand-luggage-only fares on selected long-haul routes

Aeroflot Russian Airlines has made this announcement:

From December 24, 2019 Aeroflot Group airlines will introduce hand-luggage-only fares on selected long-haul flights departing from Moscow, and on routes from St. Petersburg via Moscow, including to destinations in the US, India, Mongolia and Thailand, as well as the Maldives, Cuba, Sri Lanka, Indonesia (Denpasar in Bali) and Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh City).

This year, Aeroflot rolled out new hand-luggage-only fares – fares that are not inclusive of checked baggage – on some medium-haul routes, including those operated by its subsidiaries Rossiya Airlines and Aurora.

The new option has proven popular with customers. Aeroflot’s wide selection of fares better meets the needs of passengers and significantly increases the accessibility of air travel.

Economy class passengers can now choose between fares inclusive of a checked bag (up to 23 kg and the sum of three dimensions not exceeding 158 cm) or a carry on-only fare, so that they do not pay for a service they do not need. Passengers who select the carry on-only fare can bring hand luggage on board weighing 10 kg per seat for Economy class. The new offer will be particularly appreciated by passengers traveling with families, who usually check fewer than one bag per family member.

A discounted price for checked baggage applies if passengers pay in advance when booking or after purchasing the ticket on the company’s website, via the mobile app, in sales offices or through authorized agents. A discount for checked baggage also applies on the departure day, if the service is purchased through the website or the Aeroflot mobile app.

Aeroflot’s short-haul routes: