OREANDA-NEWS. Aeroflot’s Deputy CEO for Strategy and Alliances, Giorgio Callegari, has been made a Knight of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic at a ceremony at the Italian Embassy in Moscow. The Order, which is granted by the President of Italy, was awarded by Italian Ambassador to Russia Cesare Maria Ragaglini in recognition of Giorgio Callegari’s “outstanding contribution to strengthening Russian-Italian relations”.

Giorgio Callegari said: “This award is a great honour for me. My father and grandfather were both proud bearers of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic, and I am delighted to be continuing this family tradition.

“I have been involved in aviation my whole life, with a significant part devoted to Aeroflot. Working for Russia’s leading airline gives me the opportunity to help further Russian-Italian relations, and I am grateful for this high recognition of my contribution to strengthening international collaboration, particularly amid current trends”.

Giorgio Callegari joined Aeroflot in 2011 and is in charge of developing and implementing the Group’s corporate strategy. He has made a major contribution to Aeroflot achieving one of the ambitious goals set out in its Strategy 2025 – that of becoming a top-20 global carrier by passenger numbers – ahead of schedule: according to Airline Business, the authoritative industry publication, Aeroflot Group in 2016 ranked 18th by passenger numbers and 20th by RPKs among global carriers, placing it firmly among the ranks of the world’s leading airlines.

The Order of Merit of the Italian Republic is Italy’s highest civil honour, and was introduced in 1951 to replace old royal titles. The order is awarded for significant contribution to the nation in literature, art, economy, charity, and social and humanitarian activity.

Other Russian recipients of the order include cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova, conductors Mstislav Rostropovich and Valery Gergiev, Hermitage Museum director Mikhail Piotrovsky and President of the World Association of Russian Language Press Vitaly Ignatenko.

About Aeroflot

Aeroflot is Russia’s flagship carrier and a proud member of the SkyTeam global airline alliance. Aeroflot and its partners serve 1,074 destinations in 177 countries worldwide. In 2016, Aeroflot carried 29 million passengers (43.4 million passengers as Aeroflot Group including subsidiaries).

Aeroflot became the first Russian airline to be awarded Four Star Airline status by Skytrax in recognition of the high-quality of its customer service. In 2017, Aeroflot was named Best Airline in Eastern Europe for the sixth time at the Skytrax World Airline Awards.