What, first of all, does a passenger want to receive from an air carrier? It is comfort, reliability and safety. Also, he will not refuse an acceptable level of service and, of course, he will not be against the punctuality of the company's employees: it is unlikely that any of us will like long flight delays.

Based on these airline customer requests, we have compiled a rating of the best Russian airlines, which is based on the expert opinion of several independent consulting agencies and the opinion of passengers who have already used the services of carriers.

TOP 10: The best airlines in Russia rating for 2020

In order for the rating to be the most truthful and versatile, we used mixed statistics in the article. Firstly, this is a direct customer survey, and secondly, an expert assessment. Employees of some consulting agencies, under the guise of "mystery passengers", checked the level of service on their own experience: the cost of tickets, the quality of food on board the aircraft, the general level of service and the time of delays during departures (if any). The total score was summarized by us in the column "Overall rating" of our table.

Place	Name	Overall rating	Positive customer references
🏆 10	✈ Nordavia	⭐ 3.21 out of 5	👍 40 %
🏆 9	✈ Red Wings Airlines	⭐ 3.40 out of 5	👍 37 %
🏆 8	✈ Nordwind Airlines	⭐ 3.42 out of 5	👍 45 %
🏆 7	✈ Utair	⭐ 3.48 out of 5	👍 44 %
🏆 6	✈ Metrojet	⭐ 3.64 out of 5	👍 67 %
🏆 5	✈ Aeroflot	⭐ 3.79 out of 5	👍 55 %
🏆 4	✈ S7 Airlines	⭐ 3.84 out of 5	👍 58 %
🏆 3	✈ Russia	⭐ 3.86 out of 5	👍 62 %
🏆 2	✈ Yamal	⭐ 4.14 out of 5	👍 72 %
🏆 1	✈ I-Fly	⭐ 3.97 out of 5	👍 76 %

10th place. "Nordavia"

Regional carrier based in Arkhangelsk. It specializes in transportation within the Russian Federation, but there are also foreign flights - to Norway. Due to weather specifics, the number of flights in winter is much less than in summer. The aircraft fleet is quite "old", domestic aircraft are used to serve close regional flights: AN-24

🛫 Where are the routes?

In 14 largest Russian regional centers, also in Troms (Norway).

Departure without delay: 2.63

Food quality: 3.16

Service level on board: 3.53

9th place. Red Wings Airlines

The company is one of the fifteen largest air carriers in Russia. It has been on the market for eighteen years, in 2009 it went through a rebranding, after which it is known under its current name. It is considered one of the main tourist charter carriers. Most of the aircraft fleet are domestic aircraft.

🛫 Where are the routes?

Foreign charter flights on the most popular tourist routes from Moscow, St. Petersburg and several other regional centers.

✅ Evaluation issued by the SKYTRAX agency

Departure without delay: 3, 08

Food quality: 3.2

Service level on board: 3.5

8th place. Nordwind Airlines

Another charter passenger carrier offering charter flights to Europe, to the Mediterranean countries, as well as to Asian countries. The aircraft fleet is based in Moscow and consists of 24 Airbus and Boeing aircraft. Actively upgrades and buys new aircraft, some of them were purchased this year.

🛫 Where are the routes?

On tourist routes from Moscow: Europe, India, Thailand, countries of the Arabian Peninsula, Egypt.

✅ Evaluation issued by the SKYTRAX agency

Departure without delay: 3.46

Food quality: 2.97

Service level on board: 3.65

7th place. Utair

A company with partial foreign capital, specializing in aviation and helicopter transportation. The main ports of registry are located in Tyumen and Moscow. It carries out not only charter, but also regular flights: every day, the company's liners make about three hundred flights. Over the past two years, more than 17 million passengers have been transported on its aircraft.

🛫 Where are the routes?

Domestic regional flights, foreign flights on tourist routes to the countries of Europe, Africa, Asia.

✅ Evaluation issued by the SKYTRAX agency

Departure without delay: 3.32

Food quality: 3.18

Service level on board: 3.83

6th place. "Metrojet"

The main activity of the air carrier is charter flights on most tourist routes countries of Europe. Since 2012, it has been closely cooperating with a large German travel company, so some of the flights are carried out by liners under the TUI brand.

🛫 Where are the routes?

EU countries (Spain, France, Italy, Bulgaria, Austria), also to Egypt and Turkey.

✅ Evaluation issued by the SKYTRAX agency

Departure without delay: 3.88

Food quality: 3.69

Service level on board: 4.07

5th place. Aeroflot

The largest air carrier in Russia. The air fleet reads almost 200 liners, which includes aircraft of both domestic and foreign production. It is regularly updated, the average age of aircraft is 4.3 years. Routes are laid to 51 countries of the world. The attitude of clients is quite negative, although, according to many consulting companies, the level of service is at an acceptable level.

🛫 Where are the routes?

Internal regional routes to all regional centers, all European countries, most Asian countries, some African and American countries.

✅ Evaluation issued by the SKYTRAX agency

Four stars is a very good indicator

Departure without delay: 3.72

Food quality: 3.83

Service level on board: 3.89

The SKYTRAX rating is an objective assessment of airline services from a private independent British company. The rating is five-point - from one to five stars. Among hundreds of global companies, at the moment, only a few have received 5 stars.

4th place. S7 Airlines

The former name of the company - Siberia, is engaged in regular and charter flights within Russia, and its liners also carry out regular international flights: routes are laid to 26 countries of the world. Over the past few years, more than 10 million passengers have been transported annually. The fleet consists of 70 aircraft, the average age of the liners is 10 years.

🛫 Where are the routes?

European countries, neighboring countries, Egypt, Turkey, Asian countries (China, Japan, South Korea)

✅ Evaluation issued by the SKYTRAX agency

Departure without delay: 3.89

Food quality: 3.64

Service level on board: 3.92

3rd place. "Russia"

A subsidiary of Aeroflot, based in St. Petersburg, from where most of the carrier's flights are carried out. It carries about 5 million passengers annually. Organized domestic flights across the country, there are also regular flights to European countries. The fleet consists of 62 liners, the average age is 13 years.

🛫 Where are the routes?

European countries (France, Germany), domestic flights to most regional centers of the country.

✅ Evaluation issued by the SKYTRAX agency

Departure without delay: 4.02

Food quality: 3.46

Service level on board: 4.01

2nd place. "Yamal"

West Siberian air carrier with a fairly large fleet of airliners, in the amount of 60 units. The main place of registration is Salekhard, the average age of the aircraft is 11 years. Operates on 42 routes, most of which are domestic. Also engaged in charter flights to Europe and the Mediterranean.

🛫 Where are the routes?

Regional centers of Russia, CIS countries, Europe, UAE, Bangkok.

✅ Evaluation issued by the SKYTRAX agency

Departure without delay: 3.88

Food quality: 4.02

Service level on board: 4.16

1 place. "I-Fly"

The best charter carrier today according to passengers and experts. The port of registry of the fleet is Moscow. The main field of activity is charter flights on foreign tourist routes. Collaborates with the travel company "TEZ-Tour".

🛫 Where are the routes?

Mediterranean countries, Spain, UAE, Asian countries (China, Thailand)

✅ Evaluation issued by the SKYTRAX agency

Departure without delay: 4.19

Food quality: 3.81

Service level on board: 4.06

Which airline is the best to use?

The final choice depends on your preferences. For example, if your priority is safety, then try to choose companies using new airliners. These, conditionally, can be considered any aircraft under the age of 12 years (after this period they must undergo a mandatory overhaul). Also, do not forget that the smaller the company, the smaller its financial turnover, therefore, they spend less money on servicing aircraft. Additionally, before the final choice, do not be lazy and look at the statistics of accidents and incidents by airline: these data can be found on many public Internet resources.

Most of the aircraft flying in Russia are no older than their analogues used abroad. However, 17.7% of the aircraft fleet are old aircraft, many of which have exhausted their resources and have problems with parts. Another disadvantage of the domestic market is problems with service and supervision, which is why almost the entire Russian fleet is registered in third countries

Photo: Transport-Photo Images

Was the biggest disaster in history Russian aviation. The day after the tragedy of the Kogalymavia (Metrojet) Airbus 321, which killed 224 people, the Russian investigation opened two criminal cases under the articles “providing services that do not meet safety requirements” and “violating flight safety rules or training for them” . The searches took place at the carrier's office, Domodedovo, Samara airport, where the aircraft was refueled. State Duma deputies immediately called for a ban on the operation of aircraft older than 15 years (Airbus Kogalymavia was 18 years old) and the deprivation of the license of carrier companies with a small number of aircraft. The head of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs, Alexei Pushkov, said that it leads to plane crashes. Deputies put forward similar initiatives after the crash of a 23-year-old Boeing 737 in Kazan on October 17, 2013. Then, as now, the public ignored statements by airlines and industry experts who argued that an aircraft is not a machine and 20 years of operation is not such a long time for it.

Both aircraft - Boeing in Kazan and Airbus over Sinai - were operational according to the latest data. The Kazan disaster, as the commission of inquiry decided, the Egyptian one, was recognized as a terrorist attack three weeks later. Suspicions of the poor condition of aircraft flying in Russia, however, have not evaporated. RBC analyzed the fleet of Russian companies performing regular and charter passenger flights, and found out how justified the suspicions of wear and tear.

How we thought

The list of valid airworthiness certificates of the Federal Air Transport Agency as of October 22, 2015 (that is, aircraft that are allowed to fly in Russia), data from the official websites of carriers and Internet resources airfleets.com, russianplanes.net and flightradar24.com was taken as a basis. We excluded from complete list small aircraft (private jets), airplanes local airlines(practical range less than 1000 km, mainly An-2), helicopters, business jets, as well as all aircraft not used for passenger transportation - for example, cargo and agricultural. The sample also did not include aircraft that are not used to transport passengers for commercial purposes: for example, the air fleet of the Air Force, the Ministry of Emergencies and the special squad for the transportation of top officials (SLO Rossiya), as well as aircraft owned by aircraft manufacturing plants. The lists we received with detailed information about each aircraft were sent to all operating airlines with a request to confirm the correctness of the data we collected. All responses were included in the analysis results.

Our statistics also included aircraft of the second largest Russian airline, Transaero. was adopted on October 1, and on October 26, the company lost its air operator certificate and ceased operations. The Transaero fleet is in the process of being returned to lessors: Aeroflot, which has got part of the airline's routes, may receive several dozen cars, the rest will be sold on the market or written off. Taking into account the entire fleet of Transaero in the sample (according to open data as of October, this is 122 aircraft), we were guided by the fact that most of it could be transferred to other Russian operators, and the composition of the fleet reflects the economic model of the largest private Russian carrier.

What will happen to the huge fleet of Transaero, the second carrier after Aeroflot in terms of the number of aircraft (one of them is in the photo), is still unclear (Photo: TASS)

Which models are chosen

The most popular family in Russia is the medium-haul Airbus 320 (A320, A319 and A321): 249 such aircraft are allowed to fly in the country. In second place with 203 sides is the medium-haul Boeing 737 family, whose flights were recently asked to be suspended by the Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC).

According to our data, there are only 130 long-haul aircraft in Russia, of which 76.6% are Boeing 747, 767 and 777 models.

There is no definition of a medium-haul aircraft in Russian legislation. In the world, it is customary to include vehicles with a flight range of more than 2.5 thousand km into this category. Long-haul vehicles in Russia are those with a flight range of more than 8,000 km.

Not so long ago, Airbus became the leader among aircraft flying on medium-haul routes in Russia. The Big Four companies - Aeroflot, S7, UTair, Transaero - divided their preferences in 2013, explains Andrey Kramarenko, a researcher at the Institute of Transport Economics and Transport Policy at the Higher School of Economics. The first two chose Airbus, the second - Boeing. Now Transaero has stopped flights, and UTair has significantly reduced its fleet.

Two competing aircraft manufacturers provide most of the world's aircraft fleets. According to the international organization Center for Aviation (CAPA, Australia) for April 2013, 39.7% of all ships operated in the world are Boeing aircraft and 28.7% are Airbus. Russia is no exception. Aircraft of the two companies occupy 61.7% Russian park 14.3% - other foreign aircraft (Embraer, Bombardier, De Havilland Canada, Let, ATR).

Domestic aircraft account for only 24% of the total fleet of Russian carriers. Moreover, for modern models - An-148, Tu-204, Tu-214 and Sukhoi Superjet - only 6.3%. The remaining 17.7% are old modifications of the An, Tu and Yak, most of which flew back in the USSR. “But in the volume of passenger traffic, the share of these cars is less than 5%,” adds a professor at Moscow State Technical University civil aviation Alexander Friedland.

Sukhoi Superjet is the leader in terms of number among modern Russian models: domestic airlines have 39 such boards. RBC),” says Friedland. According to him, for local and regional routes it is large, and on main routes with good passenger traffic it is inferior to economical cars with 150-200 seats. “His niche is the main, but weak in terms of flows directions,” the interlocutor believes.

An-24 has not been produced since 1979, but there are 67 more such aircraft in the fleet of Russian companies (Photo: Transport-Photo Images)

Of the Soviet aircraft, the An-24 airline fleet has the most - 67 aircraft. A turboprop passenger aircraft for short and medium haul lines was developed by the Antonov Design Bureau (KB) in the late 1950s. The maximum capacity is up to 52 passengers. It is operated mainly by Russian regional companies (RBC considers those who do not make long-haul flights, flights through the capital's air hub and are not based in Moscow and St. Petersburg). “An-24 is the only aircraft in the world of this class that lands on the ground, on packed snow or on ice,” recalls Oleg Smirnov, Honored Pilot of the USSR, President of the Air Transport Infrastructure Development Fund. “It flew throughout the entire airspace of the USSR and is practically indispensable in the current conditions in the Far North.”

Now the An-24 continues to be used by companies based in the north: Polar Airlines, Yakutia, Chukotavia. So far, it is impossible to replace it en masse with foreign models. Firstly, in aircraft of foreign brands that could land at the airfields of these regions, fewer passengers explains Kramarenko. In addition, the technical documentation for them is in English, which is not known to all pilots and personnel of the An-24. However, during 2012-2013, Yakutia leased five Bombardier Dash 8 aircraft with a capacity of 70 to 80 seats. In addition to Bombardier, Canadian De Havilland Canada 6 Twin Otters fly in the Aeroflot subsidiary of the Far Eastern airline Aurora. Most likely, in the coming years, all An-24s will be replaced by foreign aircraft, “because they run out of their resource and it will become extremely difficult and expensive to maintain their airworthiness,” predicts Dmitry Mirgorodsky, partner at the consulting company Concuros, former vice president of Sukhoi Civil Aircraft. There are no replacements for their domestic counterparts.

The second most popular among Soviet aircraft is the Yak-42: there are 33 such aircraft in the fleet of Russian airlines. However, several of them are in storage: some are waiting for the replacement of parts, some will no longer rise into the air. Cars are included in the parks of Gazpromavia, Grozny Avia, Izhavia, Saratov Airlines. The last company started flying Brazilian Embraer 190s two years ago.

How old are airplanes in Russia

As the study showed, on average in Russia, the age of foreign models is less than their resource, while our aircraft are often older. According to Andrey Sharypov, head of the civil aviation certification department of the State Research Institute of Civil Aviation, for foreign aircraft it is about 40-60 thousand hours, that is, 30 years. For the Soviets it was less - about 20 years. The manufacturer can extend the resource individually for each vessel.

For example, the average age of the Boeing 737 Classic generation (modifications 300, 400, 500) in Russia is 20.2 years. Generations Boeing 737 Next Generation (modifications 600, 700, 800, 900) - 9.1 years. Modifications Airbus 320 - 7.5 years, A319 - 11.9 years (see infographic). These figures are not much different from the global average. The Dutch airline KLM, according to planespotters.net, Boeing New Generation on average fly at the age of 9.3 years. The American low-cost airline Southwest Airlines, according to USA Today and airfleets.net, is 9.7 years old. Boeing 737 Classic cars (modifications 300, 400 and 500) of this airline are on average over 22 years old.

As for Airbus, the A320 fleet of the German Germanwings is 23 years old. The American Delta, which flies with Aeroflot in the Skyteam alliance, has 20.7 years. Delta's A319 aircraft are 13.8 years old.

The oldest model of aircraft flying in Russia is the An-24. On average, they are 42.1 years old. The average age of another Soviet Yak-42 aircraft still in operation is 24.7 years.

Soviet aircraft and modern Russian ones (with the exception of the Sukhoi Superjet), unlike foreign ones, have problems with details. Mass production of such machines has been stopped, so you have to order components by the piece, which costs many times more, says Sergey Koval, deputy head of the department for monitoring and verifying the authenticity of the Civil Aviation Research Institute. As a result, parts with forged documents are sometimes put on Soviet cars. According to Koval, up to 8% of illegal parts are now on the market, and from 2001 to 2015, 50 serious incidents occurred due to problems with parts (incidents with planes and helicopters are taken into account).

What happened to the Soviet design bureaus

The Saratov Aviation Plant, which produced the Yak aircraft, is bankrupt and completely liquidated. design bureaus that developed Soviet aircraft- Design Bureau Tupolev and Design Bureau Yakovlev (now part of the United Aircraft Corporation) - continue to exist mainly by escorting the remaining ships in operation, says Koval. Antonov Design Bureau (now the Antonov State Enterprise) is located in Ukraine.

The age of the aircraft, according to professionals, does not affect its technical condition and airworthiness. “As a commander of a ship, I don’t ask: will you give me an old plane or will I fly on a new one, this doesn’t interest me at all,” Smirnov explains. The main thing is whether the plane passed on time throughout its life Maintenance and repairs. In addition, every detail of the aircraft has its own resources. By the time, Smirnov says, "the plane is 17 years old, these parts can be replaced several times."

The study showed that 58.7% of the aircraft in the Russian fleet had only one or two operators. And more than ten air carriers that have replaced each other - in the luggage only 3% of the boards. And in many cases, two of the same companies used the aircraft in turn. So, for example, the Izhavia aircraft had a Yak-42: according to airfleets.net, if you take into account the alternation of the same carriers, it changed 20 operators in 28 and a half years. According to Smirnov, professionals are distrustful of an aircraft that previously flew "in countries with high humidity, such as Africa." However, both the lessor and the owner are obliged to put such a car in order. In this regard, the lessor, and not the previous operator, is important for the technical condition of the aircraft, the expert believes.

As a rule, carriers abandon aircraft for economic reasons, and not because of the end of its resource, according to a study by the leasing company Avalon (offices in the US, Ireland, Dubai, Singapore and China). In Russia, foreign and new domestic aircraft models cease to be used at the age of 20-23, says HSE researcher Kramarenko. Global figures, according to Avalon research, are similar.

Airline age preferences

Russian airlines with the oldest fleet use Soviet aircraft. Among carriers with ten or more sides, the oldest fleet - 41.2 years - belongs to the Turukhan company, which is part of the UTair group. It mainly operates charter flights, including for mining companies. But Turukhan also has regular flights, so its aircraft were included in our study.

In total, there are 16 companies in Russia that operate aircraft older than 25 years for regular and charter flights (see table).

The youngest park is at Pobeda, which has recently started working as a subsidiary of Aeroflot. Her sides are only a year old. Aeroflot, on the other hand, has an average fleet age, according to RBC calculations, of 4.6 years. The planes of Transaero, which stopped flying, were on average 18.6 years old (the S7 fleet - 9.2 years, and UTair - 14 years). In 2005-2008, many Russian airlines, including the Big Four carriers, when fuel prices went up, massively upgraded their fleet, preferring aircraft with lower fuel consumption. In particular, this explains the rather young fleet of foreign aircraft in Russia, Friedland notes.

On April 1, 2001, the standards of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) came into force, establishing reduced engine noise levels for aircraft flying in Europe. Almost all Soviet and Russian aircraft of that time: Tu-134, Tu-154B, Tu-154M, Il-62, Il-86. Thus, airlines that actively flew to Europe and transited over European countries, were forced to change old noisy cars to new imported ones.

Low-cost carrier Pobeda is the youngest Russian air carrier with the youngest fleet. Their Boeing is only a year on average (Photo: TASS)

There is also a significant difference between the average age of aircraft from different companies abroad. According to the Bloomberg rating, compiled in January 2013, the American Delta has an average age of 15.8 years, Southwest Airlines - 14.7, Aeromexico - 15.2, Lufthansa - 12.4, Air France - 11.5, Ryanair - five years.

Each company chooses for itself what is more cost-effective for it: a new or old aircraft, Mirgorodsky emphasizes. For example, buying a new Boeing 737-800 will cost about $48-55 million. The same ten-year-old model will already cost $16-18 million, says Alexander Kochetkov, head of the Gold "nsky Leasing leasing company. But old aircraft also require maintenance costs. Not all companies can afford to pay such amounts at a time - they have to lease cars.In Russia, according to Ilyushin Finance Co., at least 80% of aircraft in operation are leased.

This is exactly what the largest player in the market, Aeroflot, is doing, intending to enter the top 20 global air carriers in terms of revenue and passenger traffic by 2025. For the sake of this goal, the airline has been not only increasing, but also refreshing its fleet for several years now, General Director Vitaly Savelyev repeatedly said in his interviews. “It is difficult to compete on the world market on an old aircraft,” Mirgorodsky explains the strategy. Aeroflot also gives older models to its subsidiaries - the airlines Aurora, Orenburg Airlines, Donavia, Rossiya.

But many companies do not even have enough money to lease new aircraft. Transaero, for example, which dreamed of ousting a state competitor, due to expensive debt financing, as it itself admitted in its financial statements, built up its fleet with cheap foreign and old cars, Vedomosti wrote. After the devaluation of the ruble at the end of last year, leasing for Russian companies has risen in price even for old aircraft (leasing payments are made in foreign currency. — RBC), adds Mirgorodsky. According to Kochetkov's estimates, leasing a new Boeing 737-800 costs an average of $4.2 million per year, and about $2 million for a ten-year one.

We present a list of the largest airlines that operate regular and charter flights in Russia and international transportation with their official websites and main airports. On the websites of airlines you can buy a ticket, get acquainted with current shares and special offers.

Aeroflot

• Official website: aeroflot.ru

The largest and oldest Russian airline, included in the list of the oldest in the world. Performs domestic and international transfers from Russia around the world. It has three subsidiaries: Aurora, Pobeda and Rossiya.

"Russia"

• Official website: rossiya-airlines.com
• Hub airport: Pulkovo (St. Petersburg)

S7 Airlines

• Official site: s7.ru
• Hub airport: Tolmachevo (Novosibirsk), Domodedovo (Moscow)

The former Siberia Airlines, founded in 1992, underwent a large-scale rebranding in 2006. It currently operates regular domestic and international flights. Owns a subsidiary airline Globus.

UTair (UTair)

• Official website: utair.ru
• Hub airport: Vnukovo (Moscow), Surgut (Surgut)

Ural Airlines (Ural Airlines)

• Official website: uralairlines.ru
• Base and hub airports: Koltsovo (Yekaterinburg), Domodedovo (Moscow, Tolmachevo (Novosibirsk)

Carries out passenger and cargo transportation in Russia and abroad.

"Victory"

• Official website: pobeda.aero
• Hub airport: Vnukovo (Moscow)

Budget subsidiary of Aeroflot.

Azur Air

• Official website: azurair.com

Russian airline specializing in charter flights to popular resort destinations in Europe and Asia.

Nordwind Airlines

• Official website: nordwindairlines.ru
• Hub airport: Sheremetyevo (Moscow)

A subsidiary airline of the Pegas Touristik tour operator, which carries out both regular flights and charter transfers to popular destinations, including resort cities in Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa, and Central America.

VIM-Avia (Vim Airlines)

• Official site: vim-avia.com
• Hub airport: Domodedovo (Moscow)

Operates regular domestic flights throughout Russia, including the South, the Urals, Siberia and Far East, as well as charter flights to resort destinations in Europe and Asia.

"Aurora"

• Official website: flyaurora.ru
• Airports: Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Vladivostok, Khabarovsk.

Subsidiary of Aeroflot. Carries out internal transfers in Russia (Siberia, Far East, Sakhalin region, Primorsky Krai), as well as international flights to China, Japan and South Korea.

"Pegas Fly" ("Icarus")

• Official website: pegasfly.com
• Hub airport: Yemelyanovo (Krasnoyarsk)

Performs part of the charter flights of the Pegas Touristik tour operator from Russian cities to popular resorts Europe and Asia.

Nordstar

• Official site: nordstar.ru
• Airports: Domodedovo (Moscow), Emelyanovo (Krasnoyarsk), Alykel (Norilsk)

It operates regular and charter flights from Krasnoyarsk and Norilsk to Russian cities and resorts both in Russia and southern Europe.

"Royal Flight"

• Official site: royalflight.ru
• Airports: Sheremetyevo (Moscow), Abakan.

The Greek airline Aegean Airlines was founded in 1999 on the basis of the private airline Aegean Aviation, which was the first in Greece to receive an operator certificate and was engaged in charter flights on aircraft of the Bombardier Learjet Family (transportation of 7-10 passengers over distances up to 3,778 - 5,556 kilometers). Aegean Airlines operated its first flights in May 1999 (Athens - Heraklion flight and Athens - Thessaloniki flight)...

The Argentine airline Aerolineas Argentinas was founded on December 7, 1950 by State Decree Nº 26.099. Next year, the Inter-American Association "Press Information Society" recognizes Aerolineas Argentinas as the world's best commercial airline in terms of organizational efficiency and quality of service. On January 27, 1953, Aerolineas Argentinas began operating regular flights from Buenos Aires to...

The Mexican airline Aeromexico was founded on October 1, 1988. However, Aeromexico has a longer history as Aeromexico's roots go back to Aeronaves de Mexico, which flew its first Mexico City-Acapulco flight on a Stinson SR as early as September 14, 1934. After the formation of Aerovias de Mexico, S.A. de C.V. (which used the "Aeromexico" trademark and the "Eagle Warrior" emblem) the airline...

Budget airline from the United United Arab Emirates Air Arabia operated its first Sharjah Manama flight on October 28, 2003. Since then, Air Arabia has been methodically increasing the number of destinations it operates on. Air Arabia made a particularly noticeable increase in the number of new destinations in 2009, 2011 and 2012. A rather interesting fact is that in the expanses of the former ...

Air Astana is the undoubted leader among the airlines of Kazakhstan. Air Astana operated its first flight on May 15, 2002 on the route Almaty - Astana. The presence among the shareholders of a company that itself is engaged in the production of aircraft (BAE Systems, as part of the Eurofighter GmbH consortium, is engaged in the production of part of the fourth-generation multi-role fighter Eurofighter Typhoon, thanks to which our MiG-35s ...

Founded by former Pan American pilot Kim Lundgren, Air Berlin operated its first flight from Berlin to Palma de Mallorca on April 28, 1979, with a Boeing 707. In April 1991, Air Berlin underwent a major transformation. After the purchase of 82.5% of the shares of Air Berlin by Joachim Hunold, the company was renamed from Air Berlin Inc. at Air Berlin GmbH & Co. ...

Canadian airline Air Canada made its first flight on September 1, 1937, when it transported two passengers and mail from Vancouver to Seattle on a Lockheed L-10A aircraft (although Air Canada was called Trans-Canada Air Lines at that time). Air Canada did not get its current name until 1964. Since 1984, Air Canada has launched its frequent flyer program Aeropl...

Air China Limited was established on the basis of its predecessor Air China and began operations on September 30, 2004, providing air transportation services under the control of China Aviation Group. Air China is China's premier civil aviation carrier and a member of the world's largest aviation alliance Star Alliance (28 airlines). Air China operates 284 passenger aircraft...

Air Europa (Air Europa Lineas Aereas, S.A.U.) was founded in 1986 and initially operated charter flights. In 1991, Air Europa was acquired by a group of investors led by Juan José Hidalgo. In 1993, Air Europa began to operate regular flights within Spain. In 1994, Air Europa began operating regular flights Madrid - Barcelona and challenged Ibe...

Air France originated from a merger between the five French airlines Air Union, Air Orient, Societe Generale de Transport Aerien (SGTA), CIDNA and Aeropostale signed on August 17, 1933. Air France operated its first flight at 4:45 am on September 1, 1933 (flight AF-491 from Marseille to Toulouse). A little later (at 8:30) the second flight of Air France (AF-471) operated to Strasbourg from Par...

Air Malta was registered on March 30, 1973 and already on April 1, 1973, as a gift from the Prime Minister of Malta, received a license to carry out air transportation for a period of 10 years. However, Air Malta was able to complete its first flight only a year later. By leasing 2 Boeing 720Bs from Pakistan International Airlines on April 1, 1974, Air Malta began...

The official founding date of Air Moldova is considered to be January 12, 1993 (decree of the President of the Republic of Moldova), however, Air Moldova employees, not without reason, have a slightly different opinion. The fact is that the Air Moldova airline emerged as a result of the reorganization of the aviation industry in Moldova, having received both flight and service units from it. In fact, Air Moldova is a continuation of...

Air New Zealand began its history in April 1940. At that time, Tasman Empire Airways Limited (TEAL) began operating trans-Tasman flights in flying boats. The Tasman Empire Airways Limited (TEAL) airline quickly expanded its route network (Australia, Asia, USA, Great Britain, Germany) and in 1951 opened the very popular Pacific Coral Route Auckland-Fiji, which interested the ruler ...

Based at Belgrade International Airport, Air Serbia was created as a result of the rebranding of Jat Airways. After several attempts, on August 1, 2013, the government of the Republic of Serbia signed an agreement with Etihad Airways. According to this agreement: the national airline of Serbia, Jat Airways, is obliged to change its name to Air Serbia; 49% of the shares of Air Serbia become the property of the airline...

The Air Seychelles airline was organized in 1978, as a result of the renaming of the state airline of the Republic of Seychelles (formed in 1977, through the purchase by the government of several small air carrier companies operating flights between the islands of Mahe, Praslin and Frigate). Air Seychelles was originally positioned as an air carrier to operate only domestic flights. However, in...

The history of airBaltic began with the signing of the joint venture agreement AIR BALTIC CORPORATION SIA on August 28, 1995. On October 1, 1995, the first aircraft of the airline airBaltic SAAB 340 landed at the Riga airport (a passenger turboprop aircraft capable of carrying from 30 to 36 people at distances up to 1730 km). In 1996, airBaltic airline receives its first AVRO RJ70 aircraft and joins the SAS program...

Air One S.p.A., operating as Air One "Smart Carrier" is an Italian low-cost airline headquartered in Fiumicino (Rome), a subsidiary of the country's flag carrier Alitalia. The transit hubs (hubs) of the carrier are Milan Malpensa Airport, Pisa Airport, Venice Marco Polo Airport and Catania Fontanarossa Airport. Immediately before the merger with Alitalia, Air One was the second largest airline ...

AirX Charter is Malta's private charter airline. AirX is European Aviation Operator (AOC) certified in Malta and has a fleet of 18 aircraft. The airline's fleet consists of: Airbus A340, 3 x Boeing 737 (two in VIP configuration), 7 x Bombardier Challenger 850, 4 x Cessna Citation X, 3 x Embraer Legacy 600....

The largest airline in Italy, Alitalia, was founded in September 1946 and at that time was called Alitalia-Aereolinee Italiane Internazionali. Alitalia performed its first flight on May 5, 1947 on a three-engine Fiat G-12 aircraft (flight Turin - Rome - Catania). In July of the same year, Alitalia makes its first international flight. On a Savoia Marchetti SM95 aircraft, Alitalia f...

The largest air carrier in the United States, American Airlines, was formed in 1934, after the renaming of American Airways, leading its history from April 15, 1926. In 1937 (February 16), American Airlines carried its millionth passenger. On January 25, 1959, American Airlines makes its first transcontinental flight. In 1998, American Airlines became the first airline...

The Japanese airline ANA was established on April 1, 2013, in connection with the transition of All Nippon Airways Co., Ltd. for the holding structure and transformation into ANA HOLDINGS INC. The history of ANA began in December 1952 when Japan Helicopter & Airplane Transports Co., Ltd. was established. Launched in February 1953, Japan Helicopter & Airplane Transports C...

Asiana Airlines was founded on February 17, 1988. Ten months later (December 10), Asiana Airlines acquires a Boeing B737-400 and begins domestic flights (from Seoul to Busan and Gwangju). Already in December 1989, Asiana Airlines operates its first international flight (Seoul-Sendai charter flight). Asiana Airlines begins to rapidly develop its own infrastructure and...

Based at the Greek International Airport of Thessaloniki, Astra Airlines operated its first flight in the summer of 2008. Specializing in charter flights, Astra Airlines is JAR-OPS-1 (AOC) certified and strictly adheres to the safety regulations set by JAA/EASA. With an air fleet at its disposal, consisting of two medium-sized aircraft BAe-146-300 "Whisperjet" and ...

Atlasglobal (until 2015 Atlasjet; official name Atlasjet Havacılık A.Ş.) is a Turkish airline operating scheduled and charter passenger air transportation both in Europe and Asia, and within Turkey. Based at Istanbul Ataturk Airport, with an additional hub at Dalaman Airport. Owned by ETS Group....

April 4, 1957, as a result of the merger of both Austrian airlines (Air Austria and Austrian Airways), the airline Austrian Airlines, which was officially registered as Austrian Airlines AG on September 30, 1957. March 31, 1958, Austrian Airlines performed its first flight (Vienna - London). To operate its flights until March 1, 1960, Austrian Airlines uses its four turbochargers ...

Colombian airline Avianca is the largest carrier in Latin America. Avianca's history began with the creation of Colombia's national airline, Sociedad Colombo Alemana de Transporte Aereo (SCADTA), on December 5, 1919. SCADTA performed its first flight, during which one passenger with two pilots flew from Barranquil to Puerto Berrio, in September 1920. July 23, 1921, and...

Azur Air (legal name LLC PKF KATEKAVIA) is a Russian charter airline based at Moscow Domodedovo Airport. Since 2015, it has been part of the Anex Tourism Group tourist holding and has been working for the needs of the Anex Tour tour operator, operating international charter flights from Russian cities. Until the end of 2014, the company was called Katekavia and was a regional airline specializing in air transportation in the Siberian and Volga regions ...

The private Italian airline Blue Panorama Airlines was founded in 1998 and performed its first flight in December this year. Blue Panorama Airlines specialized in both scheduled and charter flights from Italy. By establishing codeshare agreements with Alitalia, Blue Air and Cubana de Aviacion, Blue Panorama Airlines is significantly expanding its route network. Blue Pan Airlines...

The Greek airline Bluebird Airways was founded in 2008. The main location of Bluebird Airways is Heraklion International Airport "Nikos Kazantzakis" from which the airline begins to operate both regular and charter flights to Russia, Turkey and Israel. In 2010, Bluebird Airways becomes a member of the Versus Group and begins to operate significantly more flights to Russia on its only...

British Midland Airways (BMI) was founded in 1938 as flight school that trains pilots for the RAF. Starting in 1949, the airline continued to operate regular commercial flights under the name Derby Aviation, and since 1953, the airline begins to deal only with air transportation and changes its name to Derby Airways. Since 1964 it bears its current name - British ...

British Airways is the national airline of the United Kingdom based at London Heathrow Airport. British Airways is the largest airline in the UK in terms of fleet size and international flights. British Airways was created on the basis of AT&T, an air carrier that operated flights from London to Paris, and was registered in 1974. British Airways is one of the founders of Al...

The Belgian airline Brussels Airlines was founded on March 25, 2007, as a result of the merger of two airlines (SN Brussels Airlines and Virgin Express) owned by SN Airholding. On September 15, 2008, Lufthansa acquires a 45% stake in SN Airholding with the option to buy the remaining 55% starting in 2011. On December 9, 2009, Brussels Airlines becomes an official member of the Star...

Bul Air is a Bulgarian charter airline. It is a subsidiary of Bulgaria Air On charter flights, Bul Air operates its own fleet of Boeing 737-300 aircraft (148 seats in economy class), the impeccable technical condition of which is ensured by Lufthansa Technic Sofia. In the future, the company plans to expand its fleet with Boeing 737-800NG aircraft ( 189 seats in economy class). This aircraft is considered the most...

Bulgaria Air is the national carrier of the Republic of Bulgaria, which operates regular flights from Sofia and Varna to 28 destinations. Thanks to codeshare agreements with KLM, Air France, Brussels Airlines, Czech Airlines, El Al, LOT Polish Airlines, Malev Hungarian Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, Austrian Airlines, Alitalia, Air One and Aeroflot, Bulgaria Air customers have access to a route network from ...

Based in Hong Kong, Cathay Pacific Airways was originally founded in Shanghai on September 24, 1946. Cathay Pacific Airways operated its first flight on the Hong Kong-Manila-Shanghai route on its first Douglas DC-3 named "Betsy". A rather interesting fact in the history of Cathay Pacific Airways is that by selling "Betsy" in 1955, 30 years later, Cathay Pacific Airways returned to...

China Airlines was founded on December 16, 1959. China Airlines began its operations with 26 employees and an air fleet of three military aircraft (one Douglas C-54 Skymaster military transport aircraft and two PBY Catalina maritime patrol bombers). In 1961, China Airlines began carrying military supplies to Laos. In 1962, the aviation...

China Eastern Airlines was formed from the East China Regional Office of the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China People's Republic June 25, 1988 By January 2010, China Eastern Airlines had a fleet of 330 large and medium passenger aircraft, as well as 18 general aviation aircraft, flying to 151 destinations. On the this moment, air fleet airline...

China Southern Airlines has been operating at Guangzhou Airport since 1989. Today, China Southern Airlines is the largest carrier in the People's Republic of China, with 1,930 flights every day to 193 destinations in 35 countries. China Southern Airlines is the first airline in the world to use Airbus A380 and Boeing 787 aircraft. So far,...

Cobalt Air ("Cobalt Air") is the youngest air carrier in Europe, whose specialization is the delivery of the resting public to the resorts of Cyprus. The chosen format of work is low-cost. The airline performed its first flight on July 07, 2016. The fleet consists of six aircraft - four Airbus A320s and two A319s. Serves 16 regular destinations....

Copa Airlines was founded in 1947 as the flag carrier of Panama under the name Compania Panamena de Aviacion (COPA). Starting to operate domestic flights connecting three cities on Douglas DC-3 / C47 aircraft, COPA already operated 3 international flights per week in 1996 (the first international line of Copa Airlines Panama - San Jose). Having replenished its air fleet in 1969 with a short-haul ...

The national carrier of the Republic of Croatia, Croatia Airlines was founded on August 7, 1989 under the name Zagal (Zagreb Airlines). Zagal operated flights using Cessna 402 C aircraft in its fleet. After the elections in Croatia on July 23, 1990, Zagal was renamed Croatia Airlines. In 1991, Croatia Airlines leased an aircraft from Adria Airways...

Cyprus Airways, the national airline of the Republic of Cyprus, was founded on September 24, 1947, and on April 18, 1948, Cyprus Airways operated its first flight from Nicosia Airport on a Douglas DC-3 aircraft. Exactly five years later, Cyprus Airways begins to operate international flights (flight Nicosia - Athens). With a fleet of six Airbus A320s at its disposal, Cyprus Airways operates a...

Based at Prague's Václav Havel Airport, the national airline of the Czech Republic of Czech Republic Airlines was founded as Czechoslovak State Airlines on October 6, 1923 with 17 A-14s from the state. Czech Airlines made its first flight by transporting airmail from Prague to Bratislava on October 29, 1923 on an Aero A-14 (Brandenburg) biplane with registration number L-BARC. In 1929, Czech Airways...

Delta Airlines was founded on May 30, 1924 under the name Huff Daland Dusters, which sprayed pesticides in the cotton fields of the US South. On September 13, 1928, Huff Daland Dusters was renamed Delta Air Service and operated its first passenger flight from Dallas to Jackson on June 17, 1929. In 1987, Delta Airlines entered the top five largest airlines in the world. In 1991, the airline...

The Egyptian airline EgyptAir was established on May 7, 1932. EgyptAir made its first commercial flight in August 1933 with a Spartan Cruiser between Cairo and Alexandria. EgyptAir began to develop rapidly and already in 1935 replenished its fleet with 12 De Havilland aircraft. In 1946, the EgyptAir fleet was replenished with 10 Beechcraft aircraft, and a few years ...

Based in Tel Aviv Airport, the Israeli airline El Al was founded in 1948 as Israel National Airlines. El Al's first flight was in September 1948, during which an El Al aircraft carried Israel's first president from Geneva to military base Tel Nof. In 1950-1956, El Al aircraft were actively used in operations "Magic Carpet" and "Ezra and Nehemiah", in re...

Ellinair is a Greek airline based at Thessaloniki International Airport. The headquarters of the airline is located in Thessaloniki. The airline was established in February 2013. The main activity of Ellinair is the implementation of seasonal charter flights from the Greek resorts of Thessaloniki and Kerkyra to the cities of Russia, Ukraine, Latvia and Italy. Since June 15, 2015, Ellinair has been operating regular domestic flights to popular Greek destinations...

Based at Abu Dhabi International Airport "Abu Dhabi International Airport" Emirates Airlines is a wholly state-owned enterprise. By leasing two airliners (a Boeing 737 and an Airbus 300 B4), Emirates Airlines began operating commercial flights on October 25, 1985. Three years later, Emirates Airlines reached the level of generating stable profits and began to rapidly develop as route network...

The flag carrier of Ethiopia, Ethiopian Airlines was founded on December 21, 1945 under the name Ethiopian Air Lines. Ethiopian Air Lines performed its first flight on April 8, 1946 (on the route Addis Ababa - Cairo on a former American military aircraft Douglas C-47 Skytrain). With a fleet of five Douglas C-47 Skytrains, Ethiopian Air Lines is starting a weekly re...

Based at Abu Dhabi International Airport, the national airline Etihad Airways is one of the fastest growing airlines in the world. Established in July 2003, Etihad Airways operated its first demonstration flight to Al Ain on November 5, 2003, and began scheduled flights to Beirut on November 12. One year after founding, Etihad Airways buys five...

The Chinese private airline EVA Air was founded in March 1989. The history of EVA Air is somewhat different from the typical commercial airline development scenario. As a subsidiary of the transport conglomerate Evergreen Group, EVA Air was originally created to carry both passengers and cargo. Immediately after its founding, the airline did not buy used aircraft and did not take ...

State-controlled, Finnish airline Finnair is the heir of Aero O/Y, one of the oldest airlines in Europe (Aero O/Y was incorporated on September 12, 1923). In 1946, Aero O/Y was bought out by the Finnish government and given its current name, Finnair. There is one interesting fact in the history of Finnair. In 1983, the airspace of the USSR was...

Based at Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Garuda Indonesia is the flag carrier of Indonesia. Established under the name Garuda Indonesian Airways, the airline, with an air fleet of Douglas DC-3 Dakota and PBY Catalina aircraft, began operating commercial flights as early as 1949 (the flight from Calcutta to Rangoon was operated on January 26, 1949). In the 60s of the last century, Garuda Indonesia...

Germania was founded in 1986 as Germania Fluggesellschaft mbH and headquartered in Cologne. Germania inherited the aircraft operating license from S.A.T. The first aircraft (Boeing 737-300) with the brand name "Germania" was put into operation by Germania in 1987 and in ten years the number of Boeing 737-300s increased to 13 units. In 1991, Germania began operating...

The German airline Germanwings was founded on October 27, 2002 (100% of Germanwings is owned by Deutsche Lufthansa). Germanwings is positioned as a low-cost carrier and successfully operates both domestic and international flights to more than 100 destinations (including flights from Moscow and St. Petersburg). As of the end of 2013, having withdrawn Airbus A...

Based at Moscow's Domodedovo Airport, Globus Airlines was established in March 2008. Globus Airlines, a member of the S7 Group of Companies, operates under the S7 Airlines brand. Globus Airlines carries out regular flights within Russia, as well as to the CIS countries and Europe. The air fleet of Globus Airlines consists of 13 Boeing 737 aircraft of various modifications. Since 2011, the airline has been included in the register of I...

Hainan Airlines (Hainan Airlines Co Ltd) is China's largest private carrier. Established in January 1993, Hainan Airlines (originally called Hainan Province Airlines) operated its first flight in the same year. In 1997, Hainan Province Airlines was renamed Hainan Airlines. Hainan Airlines aircraft operate regular domestic and international flights, as well as...

Heli Air Monaco is a helicopter airline based in Monaco. Established in 1976 with the support of Prince Rainier III of Monaco, Heli Air Monaco has carried 747 passengers this year in its single ENSTROM F28 helicopter. Throughout its history, Heli Air Monaco has constantly replenished its helicopter fleet...

The Russian charter airline I Fly (I FLY) received the "Air Operator Certificate" on November 24, 2009. The main activity of the airline I Fly (I FLY) is the transportation of tourists to popular places recreation. One of the main directions of the airline I Fly (I FLY) are flights operated from Vnukovo Airport to: Antalya Airport (Turkey); Hurghada Airport (Egypt); Suvarnabhumi airport(Thailand). For flights, airline...

Iberia is the largest airline in Spain. Iberia was founded on June 28, 1927. Iberia made its first flight on December 28, 1927. Today, Iberia is one of the five largest airlines in Europe. With the merger of Iberia, British Airways and Vueling to form the International Airlines Group, Iberia becomes part of the largest...

Icelandair is the national carrier of Iceland. The airline was created in 1937 under the name Flugflag Akureyrar (then it was based in the city of Akureyri). In 1940, the airline was moved to Reykjavik and renamed Flugfelag Islands. In 1973, it merged with Loftleioir to form Flugleioir. And only a few more years later it received its current name - Icelandair. Basic air...

JSC IrAero Airlines is a Russian airline based at the international airport of the city of Irkutsk. It performs regular, charter and cargo transportation in Russia, neighboring countries and China. JSC IrAero Airlines was established in 1999. Since 2006, IrAero has been carrying out passenger transportation and is currently the largest carrier in the region. IrAero's aircraft fleet consists of CRJ-100/200 aircraft (pr...

The Israeli airline Israir Airlines has been operating since 1996. Basically, Israir Airlines specializes in domestic scheduled passenger transportation. In addition, Israir Airlines performs regular, charter international flights and VIP transportation, as well as provides air taxi services. The base airport of Israir Airlines is Tel Aviv Ben-Gurion International Airport, and an additional ...

Japan Airlines (JAL) was founded in 1951. At the moment, Japan Airlines is one of the largest airlines in Japan dealing with passenger and freight transport. On April 1, 2011, Japan Airlines International Co., Ltd. changed its name to Japan Airlines Co., Ltd.. The Japan Airlines fleet has more than 300 modern airliners (mainly Boeing 747s). Over 8.5...

JAT Airways is the state-owned airline of Serbia based in Belgrade, Nikola Tesla Airport. The airline was founded in 1927 under the name Aeroput, and in 1947 it was renamed Jugoslovenski Aerotransport. In the 1980s it was one of the largest airlines in Europe. Today, JAT operates flights to cities in Europe and maintains partnerships with several airlines, including Lufthansa. JAT Airways performs...

The private airline Karthago Airlines was founded in 2001. Despite the fact that the main base of Karthago Airlines is located at Djerba-Zarzis Airport, Karthago Airlines operates most of its flights from Tunis-Carthage International Airport. Karthago Airlines specializes in charter flights between Tunisia and Europe (Copenhagen and Stockholm). Ac...

Kenya Airways was founded as a state-owned enterprise from the liquidated East African Airways in January 1977. In 1986, the privatization process for Kenya Airways began. In 1997, Kenya Airways takes delivery of its first of four Boeing 737-300s for domestic and regional flights and launches the Msafir frequent flyer loyalty program, which is merged with the program.

KLM was founded on September 12, 1919 by military pilot Albert Plezman and has retained its name since then - KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (Royal Netherlands Airlines) and the motto: "The ocean of air unites people." Despite its age, KLM has one of the newest and most modern fleets. It consists of 120 airliners of various brands: Airbus A330-200, Airbus A330-300, Boeing 737-700, Boeing ...

South Korean airline Korean Air was founded on March 1, 1969. Seoul-Kimpo International Seoul International Airport is the base airport for Korean Air. In 2007, Korean Air was awarded the prestigious World Airline Awards as Best Economy Airline. The fleet of Korean Air in September 2013 consisted of 147 aircraft (121 airliners for passenger transportation and 26 airliners for...

LAN Airlines was created under the name Línea Aeropostal Santiago-Arica by the Chilean government to operate passenger, cargo and mail air services in 1929. In 1932, Línea Aeropostal Santiago-Arica was changed to Línea Aérea Nacional de Chile (LAN Chile). 60 years after the founding of the airline, the government of Chile sells 51% of the shares of the airline to local investors and Sc...

Lauda Air is an airline based in Vienna, Austria. Operates regular, charter and weekend flights to Europe, North Africa, the Caribbean and Southeast Asia. Lauda Air was founded in 1979 by former Formula One champion Niki Lauda and began operating in 1985, initially operating charter and air taxi services. 1989 Lauda Air launched the first long-haul flights...

LOT Polish Airlines is the national airline of Poland. 62.4% of its shares are owned by the Polish government, and the remaining 37.6% by SAir Group. The representative office of the airline is located in Warsaw, as well as its base airport - Warsaw-Okecie. The LOT Polish airline began operations in 1929. But then the Department of Civil Aviation nationalized all private airlines and merged them into one state - Linje Lot ...

One of the oldest airlines in Europe, Lufthansa was registered on January 6, 1926. But it really turned around and became one of the largest air carriers only in the 60s, when it was the first in Europe to start flying on the then most modern Boeing-707. Then the fleet of Lufthansa expanded and it was replenished with new Boeing 727, 737, 747 and economical Airbus A300. To date, the Lufthansa fleet includes...

Malaysia's national state-owned airline, Malaysia Airlines, was founded on October 12, 1937 under the name Malayan Airways Limited. As the national airline, Malayan Airways Limited made its first commercial flight on April 2, 1947. Malaysia Airlines operates scheduled flights to 85 destinations on six continents. The main transit hub for Malaysia Airlines is the International...

The private Italian airline Meridiana was founded to promote tourism in Sardinia by Prince Karim on March 29, 1963 under the name Alisarda. In 1964, Alisarda began operating flights from Olbia Airport on eight local Beechcraft C-45 aircraft and managed to carry 186 passengers in its first year of operation. After acquiring two 26-seater Nord 262s in 1966, Alisarda begins its...

The Metrojet airline appeared on May 1, 2012, as a result of the renaming of the KOLAVIA airline (founded on May 17, 1993), which was engaged in scheduled and charter air transportation. In June 2013, Metrojet Airlines, based at Domodedovo Airport, became part of the international travel holding TH&C, which marked the beginning of a new stage in the development of the company. In 2013, Metrojet operated flights from Moscow to St. P...

MIAT Mongolian Airlines is the national airline of Mongolia, with a base airport in Ulaanbaatar "Chinggis Khaan International Airport". The history of MIAT Mongolian Airlines is inextricably linked with the history of the Mongolian Air Force, which begins with a gift in the form of a Junkers Y-13, which the USSR presented to Mongolia on May 25, 1925. More or less regular air transportation of passengers within the country, MIAT Mongolian Airlines began in...

The national flag carrier of Lebanon, Middle East Airlines (MEA) is based at Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport. Middle East Airlines was formed on May 31, 1945 with the support of BOAC. Middle East Airlines began operations on January 1, 1946, flying from Beirut to Nicosia. Using the airline's three aircraft...

The national airline of the Republic of Montenegro "Montenegro Airlines" was established in September (registration October 24), 1994. The difficult situation in the country did not allow Montenegro Airlines to purchase its first aircraft (a used Fokker 28Mk 4000 called Lovcen) until the autumn of 1996. The airline "Montenegro Airlines" performed its first flight on May 7, 1997 (an international flight to Bari). In July 1998, ...

Niki is Austria's first low-cost airline. The history of Niki begins with the purchase in November 2003 of the German airline Aero Lloyd put up for auction (together with two Airbus 320 and one Airbus 321 aircraft) and the founding of NIKI Luftfahrt GmbH. The main goal of NIKI Luftfahrt GmbH, in addition to organizing charter flights, is to create a new low-cost airline. The airline Ni...

The Russian airline NordStar was established on December 17, 2008 and is a trademark owned by OJSC Taimyr Airlines. NordStar operated its first flight on June 17, 2009 (flight Moscow - Norilsk). At the initial stage of its activity, NordStar Airlines focused on air transportation between Norilsk, Krasnoyarsk and Moscow. By 2013, the route network of NordStar Airlines has increased significantly...

Nordwind Airlines (LLC " North wind") is one of the most dynamically developing airlines in Russia. Established in May 2008, Nordwind Airlines, with only three aircraft, begins to operate charter flights to six resort destinations. In 2013, Nordwind Airlines' route network already included 97 destinations in 27 countries, with In this regard, Nordwind Airlines plans for 2013-2014 to...

Norwegian airline Norwegian (Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA) was formed in 1993. From its inception until 2012, Norwegian Airlines, together with Braathens S.A.F.E. with the help of Fokker F-50 aircraft, she was engaged in air transportation on the west coast of Norway. After the purchase of Braathens S.A.F.E. operated by SAS in 2002, Norwegian commenced scheduled domestic flights with Boei...

Based at Tunis-Carthage International Airport, Nouvelair Tunisia, a private airline, traces its history back to the founding of Air Liberte Tunisie. Established on 6 October 1989 as a subsidiary of the French airline Air Liberte, Air Liberte Tunisie began operating its flights with two leased MD83 aircraft. After the main shareholder Nouvelair airlines Tunisia becomes...

The Greek airline Olympic Air is the successor of the national airline Olympic Airways, formed on April 6, 1957. Airlines Olympic Airways was renamed Olympic Air in 2003 and operated by air until September 29, 2009. The new airline Olympic Air, which inherited the logo, property and part of the route network of the former company, performed its first flight on October 1, 2009. Currently based...

Pakistan's national airline, Pakistan International Airlines, has a rather unusual history. was founded on October 23, 1946 (before the partition of British India in 1947) in Calcutta under the name Orient Airways. Having received four Douglas DC-3 aircraft on June 4, 1947, Orient Airways began operating flights on the Calcutta-Sitwe-Yangon route. Since August 14, 1947 (Independence Day of Pakistan), Orient Air...

Pegas Fly (legal name Ikar Airlines LLC) is a Russian airline based at Emelyanovo Airport in Krasnoyarsk and providing scheduled mainline passenger transportation. The airline has a Khabarovsk branch. The airline was founded in 1992 in Magadan. In 2013, the airline was purchased from previous owners and transferred to Krasnoyarsk On April 16, 2013, a permit was obtained to perform international...

The budget airline Pegasus Airlines is the only private airline in Turkey operating flights to domestic and international destinations from Sabiha Gokcen Airport. Pegasus Airlines, a low-cost airline, was founded on December 1, 1989 to carry out tourist and charter flights. Pegasus Airlines made its first flight on April 15, 1990. In 1994, the owner of all shares of Pega...

The Australian airline Qantas is one of the oldest airlines in the world (second only to KLM) surviving to this day. The history of Qantas begins with the formation of Western Queensland Auto Aero Service Limited and its decision on 19 August 1920 to purchase two Avro 504K aircraft at Sydney Airfield. The formal registration of the Qantas airline took place on November 16, 1920 at the Gresham Hotel in Brisbane. Western Quest...

The national carrier of Qatar, Qatar Airways has been one of the fastest growing airlines in the world since 1997. Thanks to a group of companies included in the Qatar Airways Group (Qatar Duty Free, Al Maha Services, Qatar Aircraft Catering Company, Qatar Airways Cargo, Qatar Aviation Services, The Qatar Distribution Company, Internal Media Services, Doha International Airport and Qatar Executive), Qatar Airways in...

Based at Moscow's Vnukovo Airport, Red Wings Airlines was founded in 1999 under the name "Airlines 400". In 2007, Airlines 400 was renamed Red Wings Airlines, and since 2008 has become a full member of the Russian Association of Air Transport Operators. Red Wings Airlines launches year-round charter flights to top destinations...

Royal Flight - ROYAL FLIGHT Airlines JSC is a Russian charter airline operating charter passenger flights. Based at Sheremetyevo Airport. The headquarters is located in Moscow. In 2014, the airline switched to international passenger traffic under the Royal Flight brand. On March 8, 2014, the first flight on the route Moscow - Antalya was performed from Domodedovo Airport. Since May 25, 2015, Roy...

Jordan's national airline, Royal Jordanian, originally had the name Alia. Alia was founded on December 9, 1963, and began operations a week later. With three aircraft at its disposal, Alia began operating flights to four destinations, linking Amman, Kuwait, Beirut and Cairo. Gradually, Alia increased its air fleet and route map. Its first scheduled flight to Europe, the airline...

Based at Jeddah International Airport, Saudia is the flag carrier of the Saudi Arabia. The history of the Saudia airline began with the fact that after the opening of navigation through the Suez Canal on February 14, 1945, Roosevelt (President of the United States) presented King Aziz with a Douglas DC-3 Dakota (HZ-AAX) aircraft. In the same year, the aircraft began to be used for air transportation of goods and passengers between the cities of Riyadh, ...

The multinational airline Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) was founded on August 1, 1946 as a result of a partnership of three leading airlines (Denmark, Norway and Sweden) with the aim of organizing international flights in Scandinavia. The airline Scandinavian Airlines System performs regular passenger and cargo transportation. In 1954 Scandinavian Airlines System became the first airline...

The Chinese regional airline Shenzhen Airlines was founded (the main shareholders of Air China and Shenzhen International Total Logistics Co, Ltd) in November 1992 with the aim of carrying passengers, cargo and air mail. Shenzhen Airlines began operating on September 17, 1993. From the very beginning of its activity, Shenzhen Airlines has been distinguished by high dynamics of development and quality of services...

Singapore Airlines was founded in 1972 by splitting the older Malaysia-Singapore Airlines (founded on May 1, 1947 as Malayan Airways Limited) into two new airlines: Singapore Airlines and Malaysian Airline System. Thanks to the concentration of efforts, by 1989, Singapore Airlines had at its disposal not only a developed ground infrastructure and an air fleet consisting of ...

Based at Johannesburg O. R. Tambo International Airport, South African Airways (SAA) was founded on February 1, 1934, after the South African government gained control of the assets and liabilities of Union Airways (from which South African Airways was created which came under the control of the South African Railways and Ports Administration). On November 1, 1934, having received its first aircraft...

The airline Swiss Intarnational Air Lines (Swiss) was formed in 2002, after the Lufthansa Aviation Group purchased the bankrupt national carrier of Switzerland, Swissair. Swiss Intarnational Air Lines began its operations on March 31, 2002, and until 2005, it constantly suffered losses. In 2005, Swiss International Air Lines was integrated into the Lufthansa Group as an independent...

The issue of flight safety is one of the most pressing issues that, one way or another, all travelers ask. Regardless of the distance, any tourist wants the hours and minutes spent in the sky to be as calm and comfortable as possible.

Often the choice of the airline that operates the flight, completely affects all these factors. Every year, international companies compile airline ratings that reflect the entire work of the carrier and its main indicator for the passenger - safety.

The Vipgeo portal represents the safest airlines in Russia and the world, according to international ratings and authoritative publications.

Important: The list of airlines was compiled based on the rating of the European Aviation Safety Agency - EASA. There are several other similar agencies in the world, and their data may vary slightly.

Safe airlines in Russia

According to European agencies, for 2019, the airline "" is recognized as the safest carrier registered in Russia. She was assigned the highest rating of 0.24 points, based on the calculation - the closer to one, the more dangerous flights by this carrier.

The rating is compiled on the basis of checking the general condition of the liners, punctuality and compliance with documentary standards and international law. As for air crashes, since 1993, the Urals have not had a single incident with human casualties.

"S7"

In second place in terms of safety is the largest air carrier beyond the Urals " S7", formerly known as the company" Siberia ". The “Siberians” have an older aircraft fleet, most often 15-20-year-old Airbuses and Boeings work in the company on regular flights. However, the technical condition of the aircraft never caused any complaints from international commissions.

The company's biggest plane crashes occurred in the early 2000s, when more than 300 people died in total. Since then, the level of security of transportation "S7" meets all international standards, and precedents, except for two emergency landings, was not recorded.

As for the largest and oldest airline in Russia - "" - today the most disputes. On the one hand, they have the most impressive budget and allow you to regularly update your fleet of aircraft. But on the other hand, a series of disasters in the 90s seriously damaged the reputation of the once transportation giant. Therefore, now - only third place and 0.38 points.

But the main thing worth saying about Aeroflot is that the company is the only Russian carrier that consistently enters international ratings. True, the same JACDEC agency in 2019 placed Aeroflot only in 36th place in the list of the safest airlines in the world.

Registered in Khanty-Mansiysk, the company "" today is one of the most popular carriers in the country, with dozens of domestic and international destinations.

Interestingly, the company's fleet is based on new medium-capacity aircraft of the ATR brand, which makes the carrier a kind of leader in short regional flights.

Air crashes have happened at UTair, but the last major incident happened in 2014 with a MI-8 cargo helicopter. Passenger planes fly without incident.

The safest airlines in the world

The rating of the safest air carriers in the world in 2019 was deservedly headed by the Hong Kong-based company. It has been on the market since 1946, and over the past three decades, the only incident associated with its aircraft was a hard landing of a passenger airliner flying from Indonesia.

Today, Cathay Pacific Airways serves dozens of countries, including all South East Asia, Europe, USA and Russia. Recently, the company has even launched a Russian-language website with the ability to book tickets.

Despite the incidents of 2017, the carriers of the United Arab Emirates continue to rank second in the ranking of the safest airlines in the world. And the best of the best is the company "". They annually update the fleet of ships, and also regularly improve the quality of passenger service - from economy class to first class.

For Russian tourists, the Emirates company is important if only because it cooperates with S7 by organizing connecting flights to Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam and the Maldives in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. In addition, in 10 Russian cities there is the possibility of direct charter flights by this company.

EVAAir

The third place in the ranking of the safest airlines is occupied by another Chinese carrier - " EVAAir". It began work in 1989, and over the years of its existence, it has not allowed a single air crash with human casualties. The only precedents involved a hard landing in the US.

Unfortunately, Russian travelers can use the services of this airline only at Asian airports.

Qatar Airways

And the fourth place, according to the airline safety ratings of 2019, was firmly occupied by Middle Eastern aircraft from the company "". The carrier is based in Doha and serves 160 destinations worldwide. Since 1993, the company has had only two accidents, but both of them did without human casualties.

The carrier has a huge fleet of Boeings and Airbuses. What is attractive for Russian tourists is that Qatari planes regularly fly through Moscow, St. Petersburg and Voronezh.

Are low-cost airlines as dangerous as they are said to be?

AT recent times Due to the increasing reports of low-cost airline crashes, many tourists began to abandon cheap carriers, sincerely believing that companies intend to save on safety for the sake of the number of tickets sold. But how true is this?

Tourists with extensive experience flying low-cost airlines claim that rumors and speculation are nothing more than exaggerations. Yes, there are problems with low-cost airlines, but the key cause of disasters, as elsewhere, is the human factor. Links to supposedly old planes of our Pobeda and other cheap companies are fake. Doubting participants in the discussions are sent to the official websites of the carrier.

If we take the issue seriously, then the main problem of low-cost airlines is the lack of proper comfort during the flight, but not the safety of passengers. If you choose cheap flight you need to know what you are saving on. If you are afraid, you have a direct road to the ticket offices of major airlines.