OREANDA-NEWS. On February 09, 2007 JSC “Aeroflot – Russian Airlines” together with the Russian civil aviation celebrated their 85th jubilee. Presently, Aeroflot is the most powerful and experienced airline in the Russian civil aviation, the enterprise, organically combining commercial success and high social responsibility, reported the press-centre of Aeroflot.

Aeroflot is not only the elder of the world air transport. Our airlines are still Number 1 in Russia, actually, the national carrier. Along with the subsidiaries, Aeroflot carries one forth of all Russian air passengers. Is has always been and will be the basis of the Russian civil aviation, its major representative both at home and abroad.   

Aeroflot sets the pace to the dynamic development of the Russian air branch, treasures and develops its traditions. Both 85 years ago and now our company is system generating. This is really strategic asset of the Russian economy. Nowadays, Aeroflot provides for the half of the tax revenues of all the civil aviation of this country.

The Birthday of Aeroflot and civil aviation is the 9th of February, 1923, when the Board of Labor and Defense adopted the resolution “To assign the technical supervision over the airlines to the Chief Administration of the Air fleet and organize the Board of Civil Aviation”. The first air transport enterprise and actually the arch-father of Aeroflot was the Russian Society “Dobrolet” (Russian Society of Voluntary Air Fleet), reorganized in 1932 into the Chief Administration of the Civil Air Fleet (GU GVF), which received a contracted official name of “Aeroflot”. In 1976 Aeroflot became the first airline in the world, having carried over 100 mln passengers in a year. In 1989 Aeroflot joined IATA. 

Aeroflot has not only great past but the promising future, to which the company aspires.

Today, “Aeroflot” - the leader of the civil aviation of Russia – carries over 8 mln passengers, which means 12% growth compared to 2006. Carrying passengers of the Aeroflot group amounted to 10,2 mln people, which is 14,6% more than the indicator of the previous year. The net profit of Aeroflot in accordance to IAS (International Accounting Standards) for the period of 9 months of 2007, compared to the analogous period of 2006, has increased almost twice – by 92%, coming to 357,3 mln dollars.     

Possessing the air fleet of 83 airplanes, Aeroflot flies to 93 destinations of 47 countries (totally 302 flights per day), controls 51% of the Russian market of regular international air service and approximately 12% of domestic air service.

In 2008 the Company is planning to transport 9,5 mln passengers, approximately 16% more than in 2007. At that, the planned growth of the amount of the passengers in domestic Russian routes is 35,6%.      

Aeroflot is accelerating the interaction with the foreign partners within the frame of the SkyTeam alliance, whose route network after the recent joining of the Chinese carrier China Southern already includes 841 destinations in 162 countries.

Aeroflot corresponds to the highest international standards, ensuring safety (the flights safety factor is 99,965%) and has confirmed the IOSA operator certificate, having passed the operation safety audit in June with a new, more severe rules edition. ISO standard certification audit has also been successfully passed.       

The airlines have the biggest in Eastern Europe modern en route center, air personnel training center, including 9 Russian and foreign trainers and simulators: 5 complex, 3 procedural and 1 survival trainers. 

At the beginning of 2009 Aeroflot is planning to put into operation own ultra-modern terminal “Sheremetievo-3”, where all the company’s and the SkyTeam alliance partners’ flights will be transferred. The new terminal, created with the use of the innovative technologies, will provide for the passenger service on the level of the world’s leading airports, convenient transfers and links, attraction of transit flows.

As a whole, the company employs about 15 thousand people, including 2 thousand flight specialists. Aeroflot conducts socially responsible policy in relation to its personnel, successfully realizes a range of specialized programs for socially unprotected citizens, World War II veterans, disabled children.   

Aeroflot’s subsidiaries are “Aeroflot-Don” (Rostov-on-Don) and “Aeroflot-Nord” (Arkhangelsk), “Aeroflot-Cargo” (Moscow) and “Aeroflot-PLUS” (Moscow), the company is realizing the project of creating the consolidated air lines on the Far East. The strategic aim is to increase the presence of the Aeroflot group on the Russian air carriage market to 25% by 2010. 

Upon the results of 2007, “Afisha-MIR”, the established travel journal, has recognized Aeroflot the best airline.