OREANDA-NEWS  On 03 March was announced, that  JSC Aeroflot Russian Airlines started the year showing growth in all key areas, in spite of the slump in the industry worldwide. The records for January 2009 attest to this.

In January, Russia’s biggest carrier increased the amount of passengers carried by 0.3 per cent (2,100 people) as compared to 2008, turnover – by 2.6 per cent (50,800 mln passenger kilometers). Passenger turnover grew both on domestic (9.6 per cent) and international lines (0.1 per cent). For only a month, Aeroflot carried 635,900 passengers (including 7,800 on charter flights), and performed 1,971 mln passenger kilometers.

The positive dynamics shown by Aeroflot is even more distinct against the overall drop in Russian domestic air traffic in the period of winter 2008-2009. Particularly, Transport Clearing House reports that passenger traffic in Russian air carrier industry in January fell by 20 per cent.

In January 2009, Aeroflot achieved positive results in the financial sphere as well. The company’s revenues from air traffic and services amounted to 6,911.2 mln RUB (112.3 per cent to 2008). Expenditure amounted to 6,677.4 bln RUB (104.6 per cent to 2008). The surplus resulted from the strict economy steps undertaken within Aeroflot’s anti-crisis program.

Along with the efforts to drive down costs, Aeroflot’s anti-crisis program includes sales-targeted marketing campaigns (with special focus on online sales), schedule optimization, route network correction, and fleet redistribution. The principal goal of the program is to retain the demand for air transport services, and ultimately, to secure the company’s profitability.