What is the National Airline of Russia?
Aeroflot is the flag carrier of Russia, as well as the largest airline of the country.
The establishment of Aeroflot dates back to 1923, which is regarded as the start of Russian civil aviation. At the time both the Soviet Union and air travel were in their infancy. In 1932, the entire civil aviation activities were placed in the hands of the Chief Directorate of the Civil Air Fleet and the Soviet Civil Air Fleet came to be called Aeroflot. During the Soviet era, Aeroflot was the world’s largest airline.
In 1956, Aeroflot unveiled the TU-104. It was an achievement for Aeroflot as this was one of the first jets in the world. It provided service on the domestic routes of Russia, as well as international routes. The Aeroflot Central Administration of International Air Traffic came into being in 1971. It was established within the International Airline Transportation Administration’s framework. The airline witnessed changes after the break up of the Soviet Union in 1991. During the period of the Soviet Union, Aeroflot was a state-owned airline, but after the breakup, it became a semi-privatized company in the Russian Federation. Currently, the government of Russia holds a 51 percent stake in the company.
Aeroflot covers 129 destinations and has a fleet size of 246. Some of the aircrafts owned by the airlines include; Airbus A320-200, Airbus A321-200, Boeing 737–800, Irkut MC-21-300, Sukhoi Superjet 100-95, among others. Headquartered in Moscow, Aeroflot employs an estimated 30,000 people.
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