TheAeroflot fleet, excluding subsidiaries, includes 171 airplanes: 112Airbus planes and 59Boeing planes.[3] The company plans on making theYakovlev MC-21 its flagship plane, with deliveries expected to start in 2026.[15]
On 17 January 1921, theSovnarkom of theRussian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic published "About Air Transportation". The document signed by its chairVladimir Lenin set out the basic regulations onair transport over the territory of the RSFSR. The document was significant as it was the first time that a Russian state had declaredsovereignty over itsairspace. In addition, the document defined rules for the operation of foreign aircraft over the Soviet Union's airspace and territory. After Lenin issued an order, a State Commission was formed on 31 January 1921 for the purpose ofcivil aviation planning in the Soviet Union.
As a result of the commission's plans, Glavvozdukhflot (Russian:Главвоздухфлот (Главное управление воздушного флота), Chief Administration of the Civil Air Fleet) was established, and it began mail and passenger flights on the Moscow-Oryol-Kursk-Kharkov route on 1 May 1921 usingSikorsky Ilya Muromets aircraft.[16]: 1 This was followed by the formation ofDeruluft in Berlin on 11 November 1921, as a joint venture between the Soviet Union and Germany. The company, whose aircraft were registered in both Germany and the Soviet Union, began operations on 1 May 1922 with aFokker F.III flying betweenKönigsberg and Moscow.[16]: 2 The service was initially operated twice a week and restricted to the carriage of mail.[16]: 2–3
On 3 February 1923, Sovnarkom approved plans for the expansion of the Red Air Fleet, and it is this date which was officially recognised as the beginning ofcivil aviation in the Soviet Union.[16]: 2 On 9 February 1923, theCouncil of Labour and Defence passed a resolution to create the Civil Air Fleet of theUSSR.[17][18]: 119 After a resolution of theCentral Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, the Enterprise for Friends of the Air Fleet (ODVF) was founded on 8 March 1923.[16]: 2
In February and March 1923, resolutions of theCouncil of Labour and Defence and theCentral Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union createdcivil aviation services in theSoviet Union, including the formation of 3 airlines: Dobrolyot in March 1923,Ukrvozdukhput in April 1923, based inKharkov, andZakavia in May 1923, based inTiflis.[19][16]: 2 Dobrolyot was formed in imitation of the Russian Merchant Navy Volunteer Fleet,Dobroflot, formed in 1878.[20] According to its charter, it was formed "for the development of the civil air fleet within the USSR by organizing air lines for the transportation of passengers, mail and cargo, aerial photography and other areas of air fleet application based on the domestic aviation industry".[19] The idea to create the airline was ofLeon Trotsky.[19] The basic objectives were the organisation of airmail, cargo and passenger lines, aviation related solutions of national economic problems (for example, aerial photography of localities) and also the development of the domestic aircraft industry.[19] Dobrolyot constructed airports and weather stations.[21]
ArtistAlexander Rodchenko developed the corporate identity and advertising strategy of the company.[19] He designed posters encouraging citizens to buy stock in Dobrolet and also designed the "Winged Hammer and Sickle" logo.[22]
A capital of 2 million gold rubles was authorised to fund its early projects and this was later augmented by funds derived from the issuance of shares, which were initially offered to Soviet enterprises at the cost of one gold ruble each.[19][23] Those who bought 25,000 shares were given the right to use a plane from its fleet.[19][21] Within a year, capital expanded from 2 million rubles to 5 million rubles.[19]
The airline primarily used aircraft made byJunkers.[19]
Regular flights by Dobrolyot fromMoscow toNizhniy Novgorod commenced on 15 July 1923. In 1923, an agreement was signed establishing a subdivision of Dobrolyot based inTashkent, operating to points inSoviet Central Asia. Services between Tashkent andAlma Ata began on 27 April 1924, and by the end of 1924 the subdivision had carried 480 passengers and 500 kilograms (1,100 lb) of mail and freight, on a total of 210 flights.[16]: 6
In March 1924, Dobrolyot began operating flights fromSevastopol toYalta andYevpatoriya inCrimea. Dobrolyot's route network was extended during the 1925–1927 period to includeKazan and regular flights between Moscow and Kharkov were inaugurated. Dobrolyot flights to Kharkov connected with Ukrvozdukhput services toKiev,Odessa andRostov-on-Don. In 1925, Dobrolyot operated 2,000 flights over a distance of 1,000,000 kilometres (620,000 mi), carrying 14,000 passengers and 127,500 kilograms (281,100 lb) of freight, on a route network extending to 5,000 kilometres (3,100 mi).[16]: 7
Ukrvozdukhput merged with Zakavia in 1925. Dobrolyot was transformed from a Russian to an all-Union enterprise on 21 September 1926 as a result of Sovnarkom resolutions, and in 1928 Dobrolyot was merged with Ukrvozdukhput, making it the only civil aviation airline in the Soviet Union.[16]: 6–7
In 1932, its name was changed to Transaviatsia.[24] Responsibility for all civil aviation activities in the Soviet Union came under the control of the Chief Directorate of theGrazhdansky Vozdushny Flot (Civil Air Fleet) on 25 February 1932, and on 25 March 1932 the name "Aeroflot" was officially adopted for the entire Soviet Civil Air Fleet.[16]: 10 [19]
In 1933, theCommunist Party of the Soviet Union Congress set out development plans for the civil aviation industry for the following five years, withair transportation becoming one of the primary means of transportation in the Soviet Union, linking all major cities. The government also implemented plans to expand the Soviet aircraft industry to reduce its dependence on foreign-built aircraft;[16]: 10–11 in 1930, 50% of aircraft flying services in the Soviet Union were of foreign manufacture.[16]: 8 The expansion of air routes that had taken shape in the late 1920s,[16]: 8 continued into the 1930s. Local (MVL) services were greatly expanded inSoviet Central Asia and theSoviet Far East,[16]: 11–13 which by the end of the secondfive-year plan in 1937 was 35,000 kilometres (22,000 mi) in length out of a total network of 93,300 kilometres (58,000 mi).[16]: 13 The agreement between the Soviet Union and Germany relating to Deruluft expired on 1 January 1937. It wasn't renewed, which led to the joint venture carrier ceasing operations on 1 April 1937. On that date, Aeroflot began operations on the Moscow toStockholm route, and began operating the ex-Deruluft route fromLeningrad toRiga utilisingDouglas DC-3s andTupolev ANT-35s (PS-35s). Flights from Moscow to Berlin, via Königsberg, were suspended until 1940, when they were restarted by Aeroflot andDeutsche Luft Hansa as a result of the signing of theMolotov–Ribbentrop Pact, and they continued until the opening of theEastern Front in World War II in 1941.[16]: 5
Under the Third Five-Year Plan, which began in 1938, civil aviation development continued, with improvements to airport installations being made and the construction of airports being commenced. In addition to the expansion of services between theSoviet Union's main cities, local routes (MVL) were also expanded, and by 1940, 337 MVL routes had operations on a scheduled basis. Serial production of theLisunov Li-2 (license-built Douglas DC-3) commenced in 1939, and the aircraft became the backbone of theAeroflot fleet on mainline trunk routes. The day afterOperation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union byNazi Germany, on 22 June 1941, the Sovnarkom placed the Civil Air Fleet under the control ofNarkomat, leading to the full-scale mobilisation of Aeroflot crews and technicians for the Soviet war effort. Before the invasion, the Aeroflot network extended over 146,000 kilometres (91,000 mi), and amongst the longest routes being operated from Moscow were those toTbilisi (viaBaku), Tashkent andVladivostok.[16]: 13 Aeroflot aircraft, including PS-35s and PS-43s, were based atKhodynka Aerodrome in Moscow; and important missions undertaken by Aeroflot aircraft and crews included flying supplies to the besieged cities ofLeningrad,Kyiv, Odessa andSevastopol.[16]: 14 During theBattle of Stalingrad, between August 1942 and February 1943, Aeroflot operated 46,000 missions to Stalingrad, ferrying in 2,587 tonnes (5,703,000 lb) of supplies and 30,000 troops. Following the defeat of theWehrmacht, 80Junkers Ju 52/3ms were captured from the Germans, and were placed into the service of the Civil Air Fleet, and after the war were placed into regular service across the Soviet Union.[16]: 15 Whilst civil operations inEuropean Russia west of the front line, which ran fromLeningrad to Moscow toRostov-on-Don, were prevented from operating because of the war, services from Moscow to theUrals,Siberia, Central Asia, and other regions which were not affected by the war, continued.[16]: 15–16 By the end of the war, Aeroflot had flown 1,595,943 special missions, including 83,782 at night, and carried 1,538,982 men and 122,027 tonnes (269,023,000 lb) of cargo.[16]: 16
After its introduction in 1954, theIlyushin Il-14 operated on Aeroflot's All-Union services.
At the end ofWorld War II, theSoviet government repaired and rebuilt essential airport infrastructure, and it strengthened the Aeroflot units in the European part of the Soviet Union. In 1945, Aeroflot carried 537,000 passengers, compared with 359,000 in 1940.[16]: 16 The government made it a priority in the immediate postwar years to expand services from Moscow to the capital of each of theRepublics of the Soviet Union, in addition to important industrial centres on the country and transferred to Aeroflot manyLisunov Li-2s, which became the backbone of theAeroflot fleet.[16]: 17 TheIlyushin Il-12 entered service on Aeroflot's all-Union scheduled routes on 22 August 1947, and supplemented already existing Li-2 services. Theoriginal Ilyushin Il-18 entered service around the same time as the Il-12, and was operated on routes from Moscow toYakutsk,Khabarovsk, Vladivostok, Alma Ata, Tashkent,Sochi,Mineralnye Vody and Tbilisi. By 1950, the Il-18 was withdrawn from service, replaced by Il-12s.[16]: 18, 20 MVL andgeneral aviation services received a boost in March 1948, when the firstAntonov An-2s were delivered and entered service inCentral Russia. The development of MVL services over the latter years was attributed to the An-2, which Aeroflot operated in all areas of the Soviet Union.[16]: 20
Aeroflot became the first airline in the world with sustained jet aircraft service, when it introduced theTupolev Tu-104 in 1956.
Aeroflot's route network had extended to 295,400 kilometres (183,600 mi) by 1950, and it carried 1,603,700 passengers, 151,070 tonnes (333,050,000 lb) of freight, and 30,580 tonnes (67,420,000 lb) of mail that year. Night flights began in the same year, and the fifth five-year plan, covering the period 1951–1955, emphasised Aeroflot's expansion of nighttime operations, which vastly improved aircraft utilisation. By 1952, 700 destinations in the Soviet Union received regular flights from Aeroflot.[16]: 20 On 30 November 1954, theIlyushin Il-14 entered service, and the aircraft took a leading role in the operation of Aeroflot's all-Union services. The number of passengers carried in 1955 increased to 2,500,000, whilst freight and mail carriage also increased, to 194,960 and 63,760 tons, respectively. By this time, Aeroflot's route network covered a distance of 321,500 kilometres (199,800 mi).[16]: 21 The20th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, held in 1956, included plans for Aeroflot services to be dramatically increased 3.8 times, with a target of 16,000,000 annual passengers by 1960. To meet these goals, Aeroflot introduced higher-capacity turbojet and turbine-prop aircraft on key domestic routes and on services to Aeroflot destinations abroad. A major step for Aeroflot occurred on 15 September 1956 when theTupolev Tu-104jet aircraft entered service on the Moscow-Omsk-Irkutsk route, marking the world's first sustained jet airline service. The airline began international flights with the type on 12 October 1956 under the command ofBoris Bugayev with flights from Moscow toPrague. The aircraft placed Aeroflot in an enviable position, as airlines in the West had operated throughout the 1950s with large piston-engined aircraft.[16]: 21 [25]: 44 By 1958, the route network covered 349,200 kilometres (217,000 mi), and the airline carried 8,231,500 passengers, and 445,600 tons of mail and freight, with fifteen percent of all-Union services being operated by jet aircraft.[16]: 23
Aeroflot introduced theAntonov An-10 andIlyushin Il-18 in 1959, and together with its existing jet aircraft, the airline was able to extend services on modern aircraft to twenty one cities by 1960.[16]: 23 TheTupolev Tu-114, then the world's largest airliner, entered service with the Soviet carrier on 24 April 1961 on the Moscow-Khabarovsk route; covering a distance of 6,980 kilometres (4,340 mi) in 8 hours 20 minutes.[16]: 24 The expansion of theAeroflot fleet saw services with modern aircraft being extended to forty-one cities in 1961, with fifty percent of all-Union services being operated by these aircraft. This fleet expansion also saw the number of passengers carried in 1961 skyrocket to 21,800,000.[16]: 24 Further expansion came in 1962 when both theTupolev Tu-124 andAntonov An-24 entered regular service with Aeroflot on various medium and short-haul routes. By 1964, Aeroflot operated direct flights from Moscow to 100 cities, from Leningrad to 44 cities, and from Kyiv to 38 cities. The airline also operated direct flights fromMineralnye Vody to 48 cities across the Soviet Union, denoting the importance of the operation of holiday aircraft services to Aeroflot.[16]: 26 Statistics for the same year showed Aeroflot operating an all-Union route network extending over 400,000 kilometres (250,000 mi), and carrying 36,800,000 passengers.[16]: 27
By 1966, Aeroflot carried 47,200,000 passengers over a domestic route network of 474,600 kilometres (294,900 mi). For the period of the Eighth Five-Year Plan, which ran from 1966 to 1970, Aeroflot carried a total of 302,200,000 passengers, 6.47 billion tons of freight, and 1.63 billion tons of mail.[16]: 27 During the five-year plan period, all-Union services were extended over an additional 350 routes; an additional 1,000 MVL routes were begun, and 40 new routes were opened up with all-cargo flights.[16]: 27–28 In 1967, theIlyushin Il-62 andTupolev Tu-134 were introduced, and in September 1968, theYakovlev Yak-40regional jet began operations on short-haul services. That same year, the Il-62 inaugurated the long-delayed service between Moscow and New York, which finally began in July and was operated jointly by Aeroflot and Pan Am. According to the bookThe Aeroflot Story: From Russia With Luck: "This business relationship became an acrimonious affair in which both parties complained it had been wronged by the other. Pan Am accused the Soviets of illegally siphoning away Moscow-to-New York passengers, whilst in turn, Aeroflot accused U.S. consular officials in Russia of having steered passengers to Pan Am flights."[26] In 1968, the company opened its first office in the United States.[27]
Flag of Aeroflot (1961–1991)
By 1970, the last year of the five-year plan period, Aeroflot was operating flights to over 3,500 destinations in the Soviet Union, and at the height of the 1970 summer holiday season, the airline was carrying approximately 400,000 passengers per day, and 90% of passengers were being carried on propeller-turbine and jet aircraft.[16]: 28 In March 1970, Aeroflot had amassed a route network that was 600,000 kilometres (370,000 miles) long, a quarter of which covered international destinations. At this time, the carrier had agreements with 59 countries but it only served 54 of them, including 55 destinations.[28]: 463 In January 1971, the Central Administration of International Air Traffic (Russian:Центральное управление международных воздушных сообщений) (TsUMVS) was established within the framework ofIATA, and became the sole enterprise authorised to operate international flights. Abroad, the airline was known as Aeroflot Soviet Airlines. In 1976, Aeroflot carried its 100 millionth passenger. Its flights were mainly concentrated around the Soviet Union, but the airline also had an international network covering five continents: North and South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. The network included countries such as the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Spain, Cuba, Mexico, and the People's Republic of China.[29]
Aeroflot service between the Soviet Union and the United States was interrupted from 15 September 1983 until 2 August 1990, following an executive order by U.S. PresidentRonald Reagan revoking Aeroflot's license to operate flights into and out of the United States following the downing ofKorean Air Lines Flight 007 by the Soviet Air Force. Flights resumed in April 1986.[30] At the start of the 1990s, Aeroflot reorganised again giving more autonomy to territorial divisions.R. E. G. Davies, former curator of theSmithsonian Institution, claims that by 1992, Aeroflot had over 600,000 people operating over 10,000 aircraft.[25]: 92, 94
Aeroflot Mi-10 heavy lift helicopter seen atGroningen Airport in the early 1970s
Aeroflot had a monopoly on all civil aviation activities within theSoviet Union, including services related toair ambulance;aerial application; heavy lifting for theSoviet space program; offshoreoil platform support; exploration andaeromagnetic survey for natural resources; support for construction projects; transport of military troops and supplies (as an adjunct to theSoviet Air Force); atmospheric research; andaerial surveillance. It operated hundreds of helicopters, cargo aircraft, and civil airliners. It also operated the Soviet equivalent of apresidential aircraft and other VIP transports of government andCommunist Party officials.[25]: 94 Aeroflot was also responsible for such services as ice patrol in the Arctic Ocean and escorting of ships through frozen seas; oil exploration; power line surveillance; and transportation and heavy lifting support on construction projects. For the latter tasks, Aeroflot used, in addition to smaller helicopters, theMil Mi-10 flying crane capable of lifting 11,000 to 14,000 kilograms (24,000 to 31,000 lb). Hauling of heavy cargo, including vehicles, was performed by the world's largest operational helicopter, theMil Mi-26. Its unusual eight-blade rotor enabled it to lift a maximum payload of 20 tons. The medium- and long-range passenger- and cargo aircraft of Aeroflot were also part of the strategic air transport reserve, ready to provide immediate airlift support to the armed forces. Short-range aircraft and helicopters were available for supporting military operations.[31][32] Aeroflot also participated inespionage during theCold War.[33]
The "wingedhammer and sickle" is the most recognisable symbol of Aeroflot.
After theDissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, service expanded significantly.[34] Up until that time, Aeroflot had been the only establishment providing air services throughout the Soviet Union, but with its breakup, Aeroflot branches of these countries began their own services, and the airline itself came under control of Russia, the largest of the CIS republics, and was renamedAeroflot – Russian International Airlines (ARIA).[35][36] In 1992, Aeroflot was divided into approximately 400 regional airlines informally known asBabyflots, which includedBAL Bashkirian Airlines,KrasAir,Moscow Airways andTatarstan Airlines, with Aeroflot keeping the international routes.[35][37]
In 1994, Aeroflot was registered as ajoint-stock company and the government sold 49% of its stake to Aeroflot employees. In the 1990s, Aeroflot was primarily focused on international flights from Moscow. However, by the end of the decade, Aeroflot expanded in the domestic market. In 2000, the company name was changed toAeroflot – Russian Airlines to reflect the change in the company's strategy.[38] TheAeroflot fleet shrank dramatically in the post-Soviet era, dropping from 5,400 planes in 1991 to 115 in 1996.[35][39]
In 1995,Boris Berezovsky played a key role in a management reshuffle that led toNikolai Glushkov becoming CFO of the company. The two were later accused of embezzling from the airline, laundering the money through two Swiss companies, Forus and Andava.[40] In 2010, CHF51 million in frozen assets in Swiss bank accounts were returned to Aeroflot.[41]
In the early 2000s, the airline hired British consultants for rebranding.[42] From the start, plans were afoot to replace thehammer and sickle logo, a symbol of Soviet communism; despite this the logo was not scrapped, as it was the most recognisable symbol of the company for over 70 years.[42] A newAircraft livery and uniforms for flight attendants were designed, and a promotional campaign was launched in 2003.[43] Its fleet has undergone a major reorganisation during which most of the Soviet aircraft were replaced by Western-built jets; concerns over fuel consumption rather than safety concerns were cited for such a move.[44]Airbus A319s andA320s for short-haul flights in Europe; andBoeing 767s andAirbus A330s for medium- and long-haul routes; were gradually incorporated into theAeroflot fleet. Aeroflot began working with the U.S. travel technology firmSabre Corporation in 1997, and in 2004, signed an agreement to use Sabre's software as its newcomputer reservation system,[45] further extending the relationship with Sabre in 2010.[46] On 29 July 2004, a new corporate slogan was adopted: "Sincerely Yours. Aeroflot".[47]
In April 2006, Aeroflot became the tenth airline to joinSkyTeam,[48] and the first air carrier in the former Soviet Union to do so. The company announced plans to increase cargo operations. It registered theAeroflot-Cargo trademark in 2006.
Aeroflot became the sole shareholder ofDonavia—a domestic airline then-named Aeroflot-Don[49]—in December 2006, when it boosted its stake in the company from 51% to 100%; soon afterwards,Aeroflot-Nord was created following the buyout ofArkhangelsk Airlines.[50]
In June 2013, at the World Airline Awards which took place at the 50th Le Bourget air show, Aeroflot was awarded the international prize as the best air carrier in Eastern Europe.[59]
In October 2013, the company introduced an affiliatedlow-cost carrier (LCC),Dobrolet.[60] It started operations in June 2014;[61] however, it ceased on 4 August 2014 (2014-08-04) due to EU sanctions over the airline launching flights toCrimea.[62][63] In late August 2014, Aeroflot announced the launch ofPobeda, a new LCC to replace Dobrolet using aircraft transferred from Orenair.[64] It started operations from Vnukovo Airport in December 2014.[65][66][67]
In March 2014, as a response to theRevolution of Dignity, the company announced rerouting of flights to avoid flying over Ukraine.[68][69] Also, in March 2014, Aeroflot'sIATA airline designator ″SU″ was adopted by its subsidiary Rossiya.[51] In September 2015, Aeroflot agreed to acquire 75% ofTransaero Airlines for the symbolic price of ₽1,[70] but abandoned the plan after failing to come to terms on a takeover.[71] Aeroflot instead took over several of Transaero's aircraft by assuming its leases after Transaero ceased operations in December 2015, introducing theBoeing 747 andBoeing 777 to theAeroflot fleet and allowing the company to cancel some of its jet orders.[72]
Subsidiaries Rossiya Airlines, Donavia and Orenair combined operations in late March 2016.[73] Orenair's AOC was cancelled by Russian authorities in late May 2016 (2016-05).[74][75] Donavia and Orenair were declared bankrupt in 2017.[74][76]
In September 2023, Aeroflot paid $645 million to acquire 17 aircraft and five spare jet engines that were leased to Aeroflot and owned byAerCap and were stranded in Russia upon theRussian invasion of Ukraine.[97]
According to the Aircraft Crashes Record Office, as of February 2016 a total of 8,231 passengers had been killed in crashes involving Aeroflot aircraft – mostly during the Soviet era – over 4.5 times more than any other airline.[115][116] From 1946 to 1989, the carrier was involved in 721 incidents. In 2013, AirlineRatings.com reported that five of the ten aircraft models involved in the highest numbers of fatal accidents[117] were old Soviet models.[115] From 1992 to 2020, the carrier was involved in 14 incidents; since 1996, only three incidents have resulted in fatalities.
In 2016, the company linked the pay of its flight attendants to their dress sizes. All the flight attendants were photographed and measured, and some were weighed. Women above a Russian size 48 were banned from international flights.[118] According to the flight attendants' trade union, the policy affected about 600 Aeroflot attendants. The company successfully defended itself in court in April 2017 by saying that a survey of Aeroflot passengers showed that "92% want to see stewardesses who fit into the clothes sizes we are talking about here"[119] and that every extra kilogram meant spending an extra ₽800 per year on fuel.[120] The company denied all the accusations of discrimination.[121] In September 2017, the appeal court decided that requirements banning employment by women who wore large sizes was unenforceable and ordered ₽5,000 in compensation plus back pay for Yevgenia Magurina, a flight attendant who filed a discrimination suit; however, the court did not rule explicitly that the policy was discriminatory.[122][123]
In 2024, the relatively low pay of pilots and crews at Aeroflot compared to other airlines led to staff defections.[124] In 2024 and early 2025, pilots and flight attendants received a 30% pay increase.[8]
In November 2018, per new rules by executive directorVitaly Savelyev, employees of the Moscow office of Aeroflot were forbidden to bring and use smartphones at work, allegedly to prevent them from taking videos.[125]
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