OREANDA-NEWS. September 25, 2009. А press conference involving heads of Koltsovo airport, major tour operators and agencies on air service sales, journalists of regional and federal mass-media took place in Yekaterinburg, where was presented a new flight of Vladivostok Air. Airline representatives familiarized attendees with Vladivostok Air plans for the autumn-winter period. The parties have exchanged opinions about situation at the air services market and tourism in Urals region and have presented concrete workings and suggestions.

Passing to work results more elaborately, it should be noted at once that in the conditions of current negative tendency in the branch of world and Russian air services our airline could break an existed negative trend and to keep growth dynamics of industrial and economic indicators.

Thus, within the frameworks of summer schedule realization, Vladivostok Air has considerably increased quantity of executed flights on already existing routes and has opened new flights, as across Russia so abroad.

Airline continues fleet renewal program. Today we operate modern aircraft fleet: Tu-204-300, Airbus A320, Airbus A330. In general, aircrafts Tu-154 are used for reserve providing.

During autumn 2009 — spring 2010 the company is planning to buy four Airbus aircrafts: A330 and A320 by two of each type. In the process of recent exhibition MAKS 2009 the airline signed precontract agreement about purchasing of 6 short haul aircrafts An-148.

At the beginning of the year the airline has introduced new automatic control system by means of the flights profitableness. Using this system, we managed to balance airline and customers interests, achieving increase in armchair occupancy and flights performance profitableness. Passengers got an opportunity to choose various fares depending on the time of a planned travel.

Vladivostok Air has updated the air ticket sales system through the Internet. Today airline site is offered larger services package, which allows profitably, quickly and conveniently to get air tickets on the flights of Vladivostok Air and its partners.

The list of suggested routes is considerably expanded also. It has happened owing to cooperation agreements with the largest foreign airlines. Vladivostok Air's site www.vladivostokavia.ru offers to its customers a score of routes to Great Britain, France, China, Hong Kong, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Vietnam, Japan, Singapore, Cambodia, Malaysia, Philippines, Mariana Islands, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and USA.

All these and other measures allowed us to reach positive results. Vladivostok Air passenger turnover for 8 months 2009 has increased by 41 % and has summed 2 milliard 564 million passenger-kilometers, in comparison with the similar period of the last year.

The occupancy factor of armchairs has grown on 11,4 points -up to 76,9 %, thus the quantity of the transported passengers has increased by 29,6 %, cargo has extended by 6,4%. For the past eight months of this year the proceeds from the sale of services have increased by 30,5 % and have amounted to 6 milliard 585 million roubles. For the specified period Vladivostok Air OJSC received the net profit at a rate of 457 million roubles.

Special emphasis in development and fulfilment both regular and charter flights has been placed to Yekaterinburg. As of today Vladivostok Air confidently ranks second in Koltsovo airport in amount of passenger transportation and executes flights in 13 Russian and international directions: to Vladivostok, Moscow, Krasnodar, Krasnoyarsk, Khabarovsk, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatski, Antalya (Turkey), Hurghada, Charm el-Sheikh (Egypt), Sharjah (UAE), Tianjin (China), Barcelona (Spain).

The example of such cooperation allows to intensify the development process of the air-transport complex of the Sverdlovsk oblast and all Urals region.

The exploitation of the first class aircrafts such as Tu-204-300 and Airbus A320 on our routes from Yekaterinburg could considerably improve flight and service conditions in the air.

Considering Vladivostok Air results in the Yekaterinburg market and tariff policy features, it is possible to notice that our company managed to observe reasonable balance between satisfaction passenger demands, tour operators of the region and own economic interests. Thus, it is difficult to find more low fares, for example, on a route Yekaterinburg — Moscow — from 1590 roubles (without taxes).

Not stopping at what has been achieved, Vladivostok Air has offered new flight from the capital of Urals to Moscow by a new type of an aircraft- Airbus A330, starting from September 13th. From this date on, the airline adds weekly flights Moscow — Yekaterinburg — Moscow by comfortable A330 aircrafts. They will be carried out in addition to regular flights of this route operated on Fridays by А320 which are in great passengers demand. The new flights will be realized from Vnukovo airport (Moscow) to Yekaterinburg on Sundays, from October 3rd — on Saturdays. Departure from Yekaterinburg to Vnukovo is on Mondays. Appearance of such aircraft will allow to grant brand new product at the air service market of all Urals region. It opens up new possibilities before travel agencies and gives passengers the highest standards of service.

The airline also considers necessary to express gratitude to Koltsovo airport for the prompt decision of airdrome certification queries for reception and service of А330.

Aircraft А330 is equipped with 327 passenger armchairs: 24 — business class seats and 303 — economy class seats. Vladivostok Air passengers have already estimated all advantages of this type of plane at nonstop flights Moscow — Vladivostok. It has low noise level during the flight, wide distance between armchairs, 2 large central aisles, improved air conditioning, diffused light, system of videos-audio entertainments. All these advantages of А330 create special comfort and advantageously differ from other types of aircrafts. It the nearest future the business-class of this aircraft will be equipped by the individual handheld videoplayers and exclusive library of classics.

In the future the airline is planning to increase number of flights between Yekaterinburg and Moscow by А330. Also, from September 13th 2009 the airline is scheduling the performance of regular flights to Tianjin (PRC) on this new type of the aircrafts, and, besides, it will be carried out charter flights by A330 to Hurghada.

Efforts in this direction made by Vladivostok Air will give possibilities to inhabitants of Urals to depart fast and comfortably to European Russia or Far East and further in the countries of Asian-Pacific region using airport of Yekaterinburg.

Reference: Vladivostok Air is the largest air carrier in the Russian Far East with the air fleet including Airbus А330, Tu-204-300, Airbus А320, Tu-154 М, Yak-40, Mi-8. From 2004 the airline is a full member of International Air Transport Association (IATA). 2008 achievements of the airline include IOSA (IATA Operational Safety Audit) standards compliance, maintaining performance growth dynamics and air fleet renewal. Ahead is acquiring new aircrafts and launching new profitable domestic and international flights.