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103-562: Due to its swept wing and powerplant design, the Tu-114 was able to travel at speeds typical of modern jetliners, 880 km/h (550 mph). Although it was able to accommodate 224 passengers, when operated by Aeroflot , it was more common to accommodate 170 passengers with sleeping berths and a dining lounge. The Tu-114 carried over six million passengers before being replaced by the jet-powered Ilyushin Il-62 . Thirty-two aircraft were built at

206-474: A Boeing 787 Dreamliner or Airbus A350 XWB . Its safety record was rarely matched: there was only one accident involving fatalities, but the plane was not airborne at the time. It was only withdrawn from service after the introduction of the Il-62 and after carrying over six million passengers with Aeroflot and Japan Airlines. For the Moscow– Tokyo route, Japan Air Lines made an agreement with Aeroflot to use

309-608: A codeshare agreement with Aerolineas Argentinas . In December 2020, the company sold its 51% stake in Aurora to Sakhalin Region Development Corporation for ₽1. In February and March 2022, as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine , Aeroflot and other Russian airlines were banned from the airspace of many countries and several routes were cancelled as a result. Russian airlines were added to

412-670: A low-cost carrier . The Aeroflot fleet , excluding subsidiaries, includes 171 airplanes: 112 Airbus planes and 59 Boeing planes. The company plans on making the Yakovlev MC-21 its flagship plane, with deliveries expected to start in 2025 or 2026. On 17 January 1921, the Sovnarkom of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic published "About Air Transportation". The document signed by its chair Vladimir Lenin set out

515-581: A Soviet trade delegation on board. Later reports give the fatalities as 21 of 48 on board. Another non-operational aircraft was written off, with fuselage damage, on 7 August 1962 at Vnukovo Airport after the nose undercarriage collapsed during servicing. Tail number СССР-76479 was one of only three long range D models manufactured. СССР-L5611 – (Prototype) On static display at the Central Air Force Museum in Monino , Moscow Oblast . This

618-435: 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). 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

721-615: A distance of 321,500 kilometres (199,800 mi). The 20th 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

824-526: A long-range polar variant. Military variants also appeared including the anti-submarine Ilyushin Il-38 . The first Il-18, initially equipped with Kuznetsov NK-4 engines , flew on 4 July 1957. On 17 September 1958 the aircraft first flew with the new Ivchenko AI-20 engines. Vladimir Kokkinaki was the test pilot. Between 1958 and 1960 twenty-five world records were set by this aircraft, among them flight range and altitude records with various payloads. In 1958

927-776: 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. Airbus A319s and A320s for short-haul flights in Europe; and Boeing 767s and Airbus A330s for long-haul routes; were gradually incorporated into the Aeroflot fleet . Aeroflot began working with the US travel technology firm Sabre Corporation in 1997, and in 2004 signed an agreement to use Sabre's software as its new computer reservation system , further extending

1030-433: A more usual number for long-distance transcontinental flights was 170 passengers, which enabled the planes to be fitted with such luxuries as sleeping berths and even a dining lounge for the upper-class cabin. The Tu-114 had several unique features for its time, such as: The Tu-114s was a rare example of a plane with a dual-use layout — as a commercial airliner and for government transportation. The same dual-purpose layout

1133-656: A priority in the immediate postwar years to expand services from Moscow to the capital of each of the Republics of the Soviet Union , in addition to important industrial centres on the country and transferred to Aeroflot many Lisunov Li-2s , which became the backbone of the Aeroflot fleet . The Ilyushin Il-12 entered service on Aeroflot's all-Union scheduled routes on 22 August 1947, and supplemented already existing Li-2 services. The original Ilyushin Il-18 entered service around

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1236-713: A response to the Revolution of Dignity , the company announced rerouting of flights to avoid flying over Ukraine. Also, in March 2014, Aeroflot 's IATA airline designator ″SU″ was adopted by its subsidiary Rossiya. In September 2015, Aeroflot agreed to acquire 75% of Transaero Airlines for the symbolic price of ₽1, but abandoned the plan after failing to come to terms on a takeover. Aeroflot instead took over several of Transaero's aircraft by assuming its leases after Transaero ceased operations in December 2015, introducing

1339-752: A result of the signing of the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact , and they continued until the opening of the Eastern Front in World War II in 1941. Under the third five-year plan, which began in 1938, civil aviation development continued, with improvements to airport installations being made and construction of airports being commenced. In addition to the expansion of services between the Soviet Union 's main cities, local routes (MVL) were also expanded, and by 1940, 337 MVL routes had operations on

1442-633: A scheduled basis. Serial production of the Lisunov Li-2 (license-built Douglas DC-3) commenced in 1939, and the aircraft became the backbone of the Aeroflot fleet on mainline trunk routes. The day after Operation Barbarossa , the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany , on 22 June 1941, the Sovnarkom placed the Civil Air Fleet under the control of Narkomat , leading to the full-scale mobilisation of Aeroflot crews and technicians for

1545-537: A static hotel suite at Teuge Airfield in The Netherlands. As of July 2018, there are 7 aircraft in airliner service with 6 operators. The Il-18/20/22 are serving in the Russian Air Force as reconnaissance and command post aircraft. On 17 September 2018, an Il-20M was accidentally shot down with 15 people on board near Latakia, Syria . On 24 June 2023, an airborne command-center Il-22

1648-555: Is the flag carrier and the largest airline of Russia. Aeroflot is headquartered in the Central Administrative Okrug , Moscow , with its hub being Sheremetyevo International Airport . The Federal Agency for State Property Management , an agency of the Government of Russia , owns 73.77% of the company, with the rest of the shares being public float . During the time of the Soviet Union , Aeroflot

1751-1432: Is the airliner used by Nikita Khrushchev when he visited the United States in 1959. СССР-76490 – On static display at the Ulyanovsk Aircraft Museum in Ulyanovsk , Ulyanovsk Oblast together with the sole surviving example of the related Tu-116 . СССР-76485 – On static display at the Aviation Museum of the National Aviation University in Kryvyi Rih . Data from Jane's all the World's Aircraft 1969–70 General characteristics Performance Related development Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Related lists Aeroflot PJSC Aeroflot – Russian Airlines ( Russian : ПАО «Аэрофло́т — Росси́йские авиали́нии» , PAO Aeroflot — Rossiyskiye avialinii ), commonly known as Aeroflot ( English: / ˈ ɛər oʊ ˌ f l ɒ t / or / ˌ ɛər oʊ ˈ f l ɒ t / ; Russian : Аэрофлот , transl.  "air fleet" , pronounced [ɐɛrɐˈfɫot] ),

1854-453: The Boeing 747 and Boeing 777 to the Aeroflot fleet and allowing the company to cancel some of its jet orders. Subsidiaries Rossiya Airlines, Donavia and Orenair combined operations in late March 2016. Orenair 's AOC was cancelled by Russian authorities in late May 2016  ( 2016-05 ) . Donavia and Orenair were declared bankrupt in 2017. In June 2018, the company signed

1957-750: The Kuibyshev aviation plant (No.18) in the early 1960s. In response to a directive No.1561-868 from the Council of Ministers and Ministry of Aircraft Production order No.571, issued in August 1955, the Tupolev Design Bureau was to create an airliner that had a range of 8,000 km (4,971 mi), based on the Tupolev Tu-95 strategic bomber, powered by four Kuznetsov NK-12 engines driving contra-rotating propellers . The Tu-114 used

2060-627: The Russian invasion of Ukraine . Management of the company is appointed by the Russian government due to its ownership stake. The headquarters of Aeroflot are on Arbat Street , Arbat District , Central Administrative Okrug , Moscow. The Federal Agency for State Property Management , an agency of the Government of Russia , owns 73.77% of the company, with the rest of the shares being public float . The company owns airline subsidiaries Pobeda and Rossiya Airlines . In September 2018, Aeroflot served 146 destinations in 52 countries. In 2022,

2163-674: The Soviet Air Force ); atmospheric research; and remote area patrol . It operated hundreds of helicopters and cargo aircraft in addition to civil airliners. It also operated the Soviet equivalent of a presidential aircraft and other VIP transports of government and Communist party officials. 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

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2266-630: The Tupolev Tu-104 jet 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 of Boris Bugayev with flights from Moscow to Prague . The aircraft placed Aeroflot in an enviable position, as airlines in the West had operated throughout the 1950s with large piston-engined aircraft. By 1958,

2369-541: The Yakovlev Yak-40 regional 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 by Aeroflot and Pan Am jointly. According to the book The Aeroflot Story: From Russia With Luck : "This business relationship became an acrimonious affair in which both parties complained it had been wronged by

2472-472: The airborne early warning (AEW) role until being replaced by the Beriev A-50 . During its service life, the Tu-114 had only one fatal accident. On 17 February 1966, Aeroflot Flight 065 attempted to take off from Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport at night in deteriorating weather conditions, after the flight had been delayed several times. The crew was unaware that snow had not been properly cleared from

2575-679: The international sanctions during the Russian invasion of Ukraine , Aeroflot migrated to a Russian-based passenger service system , began sourcing aircraft parts via obscure trading companies, free-trade zones and middlemen in countries that have not imposed sanctions on Russia such as United Arab Emirates and China, and placed orders for Russian-made jets such as the Yakovlev MC-21 to reduce its dependence on foreign-made jets. In September 2023, Aeroflot paid $ 645 million to acquire 17 aircraft and five spare jet engines that were leased to Aeroflot and owned by AerCap and were stranded in Russia upon

2678-671: The list of air carriers banned in the European Union for safety reasons because planes were re-registered in Russia and no longer had foreign airworthiness certificates. The U.S. Department of Commerce banned companies from servicing Boeing planes operated by Aeroflot, Aviastar , Azur Air , Belavia , Rossiya and Utair . Manchester United F.C. cancelled its sponsorship agreement that made Aeroflot its official carrier since July 2013. Sabre Corporation and others removed access by Aeroflot to their computer reservation systems and global distribution systems . In response to

2781-661: The 200-seat domestic layout. In June 1959 the Aviation Sports Committee of the Central Air Club named after Valeriy P. Chkalov approached the Tupolev OKB suggesting that various aviation records could be taken by Tupolev-designed aircraft. The Tupolev OKB prepared a detailed plan for record attempts on the Tu-16 , Tu-104 , Tu-104B, Tu-95 M and Tu-114. The second preproduction Tu-114 (СССР-76459)

2884-574: The APU to be run in flight. With experience of the earlier aircraft a further improvement was the Il-18V variant. The Il-18V was structurally the same but the interior was re-designed including moving the galley and some minor system changes. The first Il-18V appeared in December 1959 and was to continue into production until 1965 after 334 had been built. Specialised variants of the aircraft also appeared, including aircraft modified for flight calibration and

2987-491: The Central Administration of International Air Traffic (Russian: Центральное управление международных воздушных сообщений ) (TsUMVS) was established within the framework of IATA , 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

3090-561: The Central Committee, Minister of Defense Malinovsky , and Khrushchev's personal pilot all considered it too risky to use the new aircraft, the Soviet premier insisted and aircraft designer Andrei Tupolev felt confident enough to put his son Alexei on the same flight. During Khrushchev's flight, a group of engineers were aboard the plane, operating diagnostic equipment to monitor the engines and verify that they were functioning correctly. Khrushchev later said, "We didn't publicize

3193-521: The Civil Air Fleet, and after the war were placed into regular service across the Soviet Union. Whilst civil operations in European Russia west of the front line, which ran from Leningrad to Moscow to Rostov-on-Don , were prevented from operating because of the war, services from Moscow to the Urals , Siberia , Central Asia, and other regions which were not affected by the war, continued. By

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3296-684: The Delhi and Montreal flights in 1967 (though the August 1968 OAG shows a weekly SVO-YUL-HAV Tu-114 along with a weekly Tu-114 via Algiers). Ilyushins took over the Tokyo flight in May/June 1969 and Havana, probably sometime in 1969. With the increasing use of the Il-62, the Tu-114s were shifted to long domestic flights from Domodedovo to Alma-Ata , Tashkent , Novosibirsk and Khabarovsk. Tu-114s were also used for charter operations for senior officials of

3399-558: The Il-22PP electronic warfare and reconnaissance aircraft which entered service in October 2016. A modernized Il-20M with improved radar, radio and optical-electronic reconnaissance equipment entered service in July 2020 to provide secure targeting to Kh-47M2 Kinzhal missile system. An Il-18 (registration DDR-STD) belonging to Interflug and used as a transport by East German leaders, including Erich Honecker , has been converted into

3502-729: The Ilyushin Il-18 and the Antonov An-10 and the engine chosen was the Kuznetsov NK-4 rather than the Ivchenko AI-20 . The Il-18 design had started in 1954 before the directive was issued and experience with the piston-engined Il-18 was used although the aircraft was a new design. The design was for a four-engined low-wing monoplane with a circular pressurised fuselage and a conventional tail. The forward retracting tricycle landing gear had four wheels fitted on

3605-587: 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, United Kingdom, Spain, Cuba, Mexico and the People's Republic of China. 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. President Ronald Reagan revoking Aeroflot's license to operate flights into and out of

3708-400: The Soviet Union, denoting the importance of the operation of holiday aircraft services to Aeroflot. 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. By 1966, Aeroflot carried 47,200,000 passengers over a domestic route network of 474,600 kilometres (294,900 mi). For

3811-555: The Soviet aircraft industry to make it less dependent on foreign built aircraft; in 1930, 50% of aircraft flying services in the Soviet Union were of foreign manufacture. Expansion of air routes which had taken shape in the late 1920s, continued into the 1930s. Local (MVL) services were greatly expanded in Soviet Central Asia and the Soviet Far East , which by the end of the second five-year plan in 1937

3914-539: The Soviet war effort. Prior to the invasion, the Aeroflot network extended over 146,000 kilometres (91,000 mi), and amongst the longest routes being operated from Moscow were those to Tbilisi (via Baku ), Tashkent and Vladivostok . Aeroflot aircraft, including PS-35s and PS-43s, were based at Khodynka Aerodrome in Moscow; and important missions undertaken by Aeroflot aircraft and crews included flying supplies to

4017-464: The Tu-114. The flight crew included one JAL member, and the cabin crew consisted of five each from Aeroflot and JAL. The seating was changed to a two-class layout with 105 seats, and the aircraft livery included a small JAL logo and lettering on the forward fuselage. The first flight was on April 17, 1967. In 1969, the Moscow–Tokyo Tu-114 flights ended and the four involved planes converted back to

4120-603: The Tu-114. To overcome this, the Tu-114 was specially modified into the long-range Tu-114D variant, with seating reduced from 170 to 60, and 15 extra fuel tanks added. These aircraft refuelled at Olenya near Murmansk , in the far North of the Soviet Union, and then flew via the Barents Sea to Havana. Usually, this fuel load was enough, but in case of strong headwinds, an emergency refuelling stop in Nassau in The Bahamas

4223-453: The USSR and various official delegations. The Tu-114 had a short commercial service life compared with other Soviet airliners, being operated on regular flights from 1961 to 1976 (in comparison, the Il-62 is still in civilian service 52 years after its introduction, as of 2019). The fatigue life of the airframe was set at 14,000 flying hours. Most of the aircraft passed this point in 1976. By

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4326-663: The United States following the downing of Korean Air Lines Flight 007 by the Soviet Air Force. Flights resumed in April 1986. At the start of the 1990s, Aeroflot reorganised again giving more autonomy to territorial divisions. R. E. G. Davies , former curator of the Smithsonian Institution , claims that by 1992 Aeroflot had over 600,000 people operating over 10,000 aircraft. Once the world's largest carrier , Aeroflot did not restrict its operations to

4429-402: The United States government placed political pressure on Guinea, landing rights were denied after four flights, and the Tu-114 service had to be routed through Dakar , Senegal , instead. Further American pressure to isolate Cuba resulted in denial of landing rights after three flights, and the route was changed to Algiers , Algeria , instead. After three more flights, Algiers was also closed to

4532-762: The aircraft was awarded the Brussels World Fair Grand Prix. In April 1979 a monument was unveiled at Sheremetyevo airport to commemorate the aircraft. Seventeen foreign air carriers acquired some 125 Il-18 aircraft, seating 100-120 passengers. Il-18s are still in service in Siberia , North Korea and the Middle East , whilst a number of examples manufactured in the mid-1960s were still in civilian use in Africa and south Asia as of 2014. The type operates in various military capacities, including

4635-491: The airline itself came under control of Russia, the largest of the CIS republics, and was renamed Aeroflot – Russian International Airlines (ARIA) . In 1992, Aeroflot was divided into approximately 400 regional airlines informally known as Babyflots , which included BAL Bashkirian Airlines , KrasAir , Moscow Airways and Tatarstan Airlines , with Aeroflot keeping the international routes. In 1994, Aeroflot

4738-429: The airline was of Leon Trotsky . 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. Dobrolyot constructed airports and weather stations. Artist Alexander Rodchenko developed the corporate identity and advertising strategy of

4841-456: The basic regulations on air transport over the territory of the RSFSR. The document was significant as it was the first time that a Russian state had declared sovereignty over its airspace . 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

4944-462: The basic wing, empennage, landing gear, and powerplants of the Tu-95 bomber, mated to a totally new pressurized fuselage of much larger diameter. To cope with the increased weight, increased landing flap surface area was required, and the flap chord was increased compared to the bomber's flaps. The wing was mounted low on the fuselage, giving the Tu-114 a much higher stance on its landing gear than

5047-564: The besieged cities of Leningrad , Kyiv , Odessa and Sevastopol . During the Battle 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 the Wehrmacht , 80 Junkers Ju 52 /3ms were captured from the Germans, and were placed into the service of

5150-412: The best known Soviet aircraft of its era. The Il-18 was one of the world's principal airliners for several decades and was widely exported. Due to the aircraft's durability, many examples achieved over 45,000 flight hours and the type remains operational in both military and (to a lesser extent) civilian capacities. The Il-18's successor was the longer-range Ilyushin Il-62 . Two Soviet aircraft shared

5253-474: The bomber. As a result, a new nose landing gear strut was required, although the main landing gear remained unchanged. The Tu-114 was able to reach speeds typical of modern jetliners (880 km/h), but its cruising speed equivalent to Mach 0.71 was markedly lower than equivalent jet airliners such as the Boeing 707 , Douglas DC-8 , and Vickers VC10 , which usually cruised at Mach 0.83. It carried up to 224 passengers in maximum carriage configuration, although

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5356-421: The company from 51% to 100%; soon afterwards, Aeroflot-Nord was created following the buyout of Arkhangelsk Airlines . In December 2009, after it filed for bankruptcy, Aeroflot-Cargo merged into Aeroflot. In November 2011, Rostec , a state agency, merged five airlines it owned - Vladivostok Avia , Saravia , Rossiya Airlines , SAT Airlines and Orenair - into Aeroflot, acquiring an additional 3.5% of

5459-402: The company in a ₽2.5 billion deal. Saravia was then sold to private investors. In September 2013, Aurora (originally called Taiga) was created, combining Vladivostok Air and SAT Airlines . 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. In October 2013,

5562-470: The company introduced an affiliated low-cost carrier (LCC), Dobrolet . It started operations in June 2014; however, it ceased on 4 August 2014  ( 2014-08-04 ) due to EU sanctions over the airline launching flights to Crimea . In late August 2014, Aeroflot announced the launch of Pobeda , a new LCC to replace Dobrolet using aircraft transferred from Orenair. It started operations from Vnukovo Airport in December 2014. In March 2014, as

5665-420: The company. He designed posters encouraging citizens to buy stock in Dobrolet and also designed the "Winged Hammer and Sickle" logo. 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. Those who bought 25,000 shares were given

5768-533: The designation Ilyushin Il-18. The first Il-18 was a propeller-driven airliner of 1946 but after a year of test flights that programme was abandoned. In the early 1950s with a need to replace older designs and increase the size of the Soviet civil transport fleet, a Soviet Council of Ministers directive was issued on 30 December 1955 to the chief designers Kuznetsov and Ivchenko to develop new turboprop engines and to Ilyushin and Antonov to design an aircraft to use these engines. The two aircraft designs were developed as

5871-432: The early 2000s, the airline hired British consultants for rebranding. From the start, plans were afoot to replace the hammer 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. A new Aircraft livery and uniforms for flight attendants were designed and a promotional campaign launched in 2003. Its fleet has undergone

5974-559: 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. In March 1924, Dobrolyot began operating flights from Sevastopol to Yalta and Yevpatoriya in Crimea . Dobrolyot's route network was extended during the 1925–1927 period to include Kazan and regular flights between Moscow and Kharkov were inaugurated. Dobrolyot flights to Kharkov connected with Ukrvozdukhput services to Kiev , Odessa and Rostov-on-Don . In 1925, Dobrolyot operated 2,000 flights over

6077-467: 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. At the end of World War II , the Soviet 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. The government made it

6180-412: The expansion of the Red Air Fleet, and it is this date which was officially recognised as the beginning of civil aviation in the Soviet Union. On 9 February 1923, the Council of Labour and Defence passed a resolution to create the Civil Air Fleet of the USSR . After a resolution of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union , the Enterprise for Friends of the Air Fleet (ODVF)

6283-473: The fact that Tupolev's son was with us" for "to do so, would have meant giving explanations, and these might have been damaging to our image". When it arrived at Andrews Air Force Base , the ground crew found that the aircraft was so large and its landing gear so tall that they had no passenger steps high enough to reach the forward hatch. Khrushchev and his party were obliged to use the aircraft's own emergency escape ladder. The last flight of this particular plane

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6386-418: The following airlines: Aeroflot was a member of SkyTeam airline alliance from April 2006 until 27 April 2022, when its membership was suspended as part of the corporate responses to the Russian invasion of Ukraine . Ilyushin Il-18 The Ilyushin Il-18 ( Russian : Илью́шин Ил-18 ; NATO reporting name : Coot ) is a large turboprop airliner that first flew in 1957 and became one of

6489-433: The formation of Deruluft 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 a Fokker F.III flying between Königsberg and Moscow. The service was initially operated twice a week and restricted to the carriage of mail. On 3 February 1923, Sovnarkom approved plans for

6592-417: The full width of the runway involved. The plane's wing struck a large snow mound at speed and the propellers of the number 3 and 4 engines hit the runway, resulting in the aircraft veering off course and catching fire. Initial Soviet sources suggested that 48 of the 70 persons on board were killed, including the pilot. The aircraft was bound for Brazzaville , Republic of the Congo with a number of Africans and

6695-488: The height of the 1970 summer holidays season, the airline was carrying approximately 400,000 passengers per day, and 90% of passengers were being carried on propeller-turbine and jet aircraft. 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. In January 1971,

6798-454: The improved Il-18B , this new variant had a higher gross weight and the nose was re-designed with a larger radome which increased the length by 20 cm. The first Il-18B flew on 30 September 1958 powered by the AI-20; a VIP variant was also built as the IL-18S for the Soviet Air Force. From April 1961 a TG-18 Auxiliary Power Unit was fitted for ground starting rather than the bank of lead-acid batteries. Some aircraft were modified to allow

6901-459: The latter tasks, Aeroflot used, in addition to smaller helicopters, the Mil 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, the Mil 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

7004-414: The main leg bogies, the main legs bogies rotated 90 degrees and retracted into the rear of the inboard engines. A new feature at the time was the fitting of a weather radar in the nose and it was the first Soviet airliner to have an automatic approach system. The aircraft has two entry doors on the port-side before and after the wing and two overwing emergency exits on each side. The prototype SSSR-L5811

7107-403: The name "Aeroflot" was officially adopted for the entire Soviet Civil Air Fleet. The Communist Party of the Soviet Union Congress in 1933 set out development plans for the civil aviation industry for the following five years, with air transportation becoming one of the primary means of transportation in the Soviet Union, linking all major cities. The government also implemented plans to expand

7210-405: The new sub-groups by Tu-95 and Tu-142 aircraft at faster speeds. The Tu-116 was a Tupolev Tu-95 bomber fitted with pressurized passenger cabins built to serve as the official government transport. The two passenger cabins were fitted into the space of bomb bays and were not connected to each other or the flight deck. The Tu-126 (NATO reporting name Moss ) was used by the Soviet Air Force in

7313-484: The number of destinations was significantly reduced after many countries banned Russian aircraft as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine . It currently operates service to/from Armenia , Azerbaijan , Belarus , China , Cuba , Egypt , Hong Kong , India , Iran , Kazakhstan , Kyrgyzstan , Maldives , Mauritius , Seychelles , Sri Lanka , Thailand , Turkey , United Arab Emirates , Uzbekistan , and Vietnam . Aeroflot only has codeshare agreements with

7416-504: The number of passengers carried in 1961 skyrocketing to 21,800,000. Further expansion came in 1962 when both the Tupolev Tu-124 and Antonov 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 from Mineralnye Vody to 48 cities across

7519-516: The only civil aviation airline in the Soviet Union. In 1932, its name was changed to Transaviatsia and later that year, all civil aviation activities were consolidated under the name of Grazhdansky Vozdushny Flot (Civil Air Fleet), known as Aeroflot . Responsibility for all civil aviation activities in the Soviet Union came under the control of the Chief Directorate of the Civil Air Fleet on 25 February 1932, and on 25 March 1932

7622-477: The other. Pan Am accused the Soviets of illegally siphoning away Moscow-to-New York passengers, whilst in turn; Aeroflot accused US consular officials in Russia of having steered passengers to Pan Am flights." In 1968, the company opened its first office in the United States. 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

7725-619: The period 1951–1955, emphasised Aeroflot expanding night-time operations, which vastly improved aircraft utilisation. By 1952, 700 destinations in the Soviet Union received regular flights from Aeroflot. On 30 November 1954, the Ilyushin 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

7828-593: 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. 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. In 1967, the Ilyushin Il-62 and Tupolev Tu-134 were introduced, and in September 1968

7931-496: The post-Soviet era, dropping from 5,400 planes in 1991 to 115 in 1996. In 1995, Boris Berezovsky played a key role in a management reshuffle that led to Nikolai Glushkov becoming CFO of the company. The two were later accused of embezzling $ 700 million from the airline, laundering the money through two Swiss companies, Forus and Andava. In 2010, CHF51 million in frozen assets in Swiss bank accounts were returned to Aeroflot. In

8034-538: The purpose of civil 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 using Sikorsky Ilya Muromets aircraft. This was followed by

8137-627: The relationship with Sabre in 2010. On 29 July 2004, a new corporate slogan was adopted: "Sincerely Yours. Aeroflot". In April 2006, Aeroflot became the tenth airline to join SkyTeam , and the first air carrier in the former Soviet Union to do so. The company announced plans to increase cargo operations. It registered the Aeroflot-Cargo trademark in 2006. Aeroflot became the sole shareholder of Donavia —a domestic airline then-named Aeroflot-Don —in December 2006, when it boosted its stake in

8240-538: The right to use a plane from its fleet. Within a year, capital expanded from 2 million rubles to 5 million rubles. The airline primarily used aircraft made by Junkers . Regular flights by Dobrolyot from Moscow to Nizhniy Novgorod commenced on 15 July 1923. In 1923, an agreement was signed establishing a subdivision of Dobrolyot based in Tashkent , operating to points in Soviet Central Asia . Services between Tashkent and Alma Ata began on 27 April 1924, and by

8343-459: 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. Aeroflot introduced the Antonov An-10 and Ilyushin 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. The Tupolev Tu-114 , then

8446-500: The same time as the Il-12, and was operated on routes from Moscow to Yakutsk , Khabarovsk , Vladivostok, Alma Ata, Tashkent, Sochi , Mineralnye Vody and Tbilisi. By 1950, the Il-18 was withdrawn from service, replaced by Il-12s. MVL and general aviation services received a boost in March 1948, when the first Antonov An-2s were delivered and entered service in Central Russia . Development of MVL services over latter years

8549-485: The sleeping compartments, with their staff and entourage in two tourist class cabins with 3+3 layout. Front cabins had 41 seats (first row 2+3), and the aft cabin had 54 seats. On domestic flights all seats were sold at one price; there was no class difference in the USSR during the Tu-114's flying career. The most uncomfortable places on the plane were in the "restaurant" compartments (six seats instead three sleeping berths), these were sold last. Three places in row 16, near

8652-438: The stair to the lower deck were equipped with baby bassinets. Maximum seating capacity of the Tu-114 in its "native" configuration was 170 passengers. For international flights, sleeping places were sold as first class. In the early 1970s, sleeping compartments and the "restaurant" on most Tu-114s (excluding three or four) were dismantled and replaced with the usual passenger seats, with maximum seating reaching 200. The design

8755-543: The strategic air transport reserve, ready to provide immediate airlift support to the armed forces. Short-range aircraft and helicopters were available for appropriate military support missions. After the Dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, service expanded significantly. 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

8858-501: The summer of 1977, Aeroflot decided to scrap 21 aircraft at the same time. A few continued in use by the Soviet Air Forces until 1991. Although the time in service was relatively brief, the Tu-114, during its time in service, managed to earn an excellent reputation for reliability, speed and fuel economy. Tu-114 burned 5,000-5,500 kg/hour of fuel at cruise flight, which is comparable to a modern wide-body twinjet, such as

8961-649: The transportation of passengers, but monopolised all civil aviation activities within the Soviet Union . Apart from passenger transportation that covered a domestic network of over 3,600 villages, towns and cities, activities undertaken by the airline that were labelled as "non-transport tasks" included air ambulance ; aerial application ; heavy lifting for the Soviet Space Agency ; offshore oil platform support; exploration and aeromagnetic survey for natural resources; support for construction projects; transport of military troops and supplies (as an adjunct to

9064-491: 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. The expansion of the Aeroflot 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

9167-644: Was 35,000 kilometres (22,000 mi) in length out of a total network of 93,300 kilometres (58,000 mi). The agreement between the Soviet Union and Germany relating to Deruluft expired on 1 January 1937 and wasn't renewed, which saw the joint venture carrier ceasing operations on 1 April 1937. On that date Aeroflot began operations on the Moscow to Stockholm route, and began operating the ex-Deruluft route from Leningrad to Riga utilising Douglas DC-3s and Tupolev ANT-35s (PS-35s). Flights from Moscow to Berlin, via Königsberg, were suspended until 1940, when they were restarted by Aeroflot and Deutsche Luft Hansa as

9270-453: Was attributed to the An-2, which was operated by Aeroflot in all areas of the Soviet Union. 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

9373-496: Was formed in imitation of the Russian Merchant Navy Volunteer Fleet, Dobroflot , formed in 1878. 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". The idea to create

9476-689: Was founded on 8 March 1923. In February and March 1923, resolutions of the Council of Labour and Defence and the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union created civil aviation services in the Soviet Union , including the formation of 3 airlines: Dobrolyot in March 1923, Ukrvozdukhput in April 1923, based in Kharkov , and Zakavia in May 1923, based in Tiflis . Dobrolyot

9579-689: Was in 1968, and it is now on display at the Central Air Force Museum at Monino , outside of Moscow. Similar issues were experienced when the plane first landed at London and Paris airports, neither of which had hosted a plane of this size. The Tu-114 entered regular Aeroflot service on flights from Vnukovo Airport in Moscow to Khabarovsk on 24 April 1961. It was subsequently used for Aeroflot flights to international destinations including Copenhagen , Havana , Montreal , New Delhi , Paris , Belgrade and Tokyo (in co-operation with JAL ). Flights to Havana via Conakry in Guinea began on 10 July 1962. After

9682-586: Was necessary; this was an American military field. All planes operating this route were converted back to normal specifications after the jet-powered Ilyushin Il-62 began flying the Moscow–Havana route. Aeroflot first appeared in the OAG registry in the January 1967 issue, which shows: The May 1967 OAG adds the weekly flight to Tokyo, taking 10:35 hours and the return to SVO in 11:25 hours. Ilyushin 62s took over

9785-490: Was not without shortcomings. Passengers on the Tu-114 endured high noise levels (108–112 dB) and vibrations from the propellers and engines. The first Tu-114, registration СССР-Л5611, was first shown to the West in 1958 at the Brussels World Exhibition . It later carried Nikita Khrushchev on his first trip to the United States in September 1959 , the first such visit by any Soviet leader. The Tu-114

9888-448: Was one of the largest airlines in the world . In 1992, following the dissolution of the Soviet Union , Aeroflot was divided into approximately 400 regional airlines informally known as Babyflots and was restructured into an open joint-stock company . It has a market share in Russia of approximately 39%. Including subsidiaries , the company carried 47.3 million passengers in 2023. Aeroflot also owns Rossiya Airlines and Pobeda ,

9991-457: Was only different from the prototype in minor details, mainly internal configuration to increase the seating from 75 to 89. The first production aircraft were powered by the Kuznetsov NK-4 but the engines were plagued with problems so the Council of Ministers decreed in July 1958 that all production from November 1958 would use the Ivchenko AI-20 and earlier production would be re-engined. Only 20 IL-18As were built before production changed to

10094-479: Was painted on the fuselage, although the name was not used when the aircraft entered production. The Moscow Machinery Plant No. 30 located at Khodynka, near where the Ilyushin design office and the prototype had been built, was chosen to manufacture the aircraft. During 1957 the plant began to reduce its production of the Ilyushin Il-14 and prepare to build the production aircraft designated IL-18A . The Il-18A

10197-487: Was prepared and clearance obtained to fly with the 30- tonne (metric ton) payload required for some of the record attempts. In a series of flights beginning on 24 March 1960 the Tu-114 achieved the following records in Sub-class C-1 (landplanes) Group 2 (turboprop): All these records stand, but the category was discontinued when the category was split into takeoff weight sub-groups. Similar records have been set in

10300-458: Was registered as a joint-stock company and the government sold off 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 started an expansion in the domestic market. In 2000, the company name was changed to Aeroflot – Russian Airlines to reflect the change in the company strategy. The Aeroflot fleet shrank dramatically in

10403-524: Was rolled out in June 1957 and after ground-testing it began taxi test and high-speed runs on 1 July 1957. On 4 July 1957 the prototype first flew from Khodynka . On 10 July 1957 the aircraft was flown to Moscow-Vnukovo Airport to be presented to a Soviet government commission; also present was the prototype Antonov An-10 and the Tupolev Tu-114 . The Il-18 type was formally named Moskva and this

10506-409: Was still in the testing phase and had completed its first long range flight only four months earlier, after which postflight analysis found that hairline cracks had formed in the engines. Trusting the Soviet leadership to a still experimental aircraft was risky, but the only other option for a flight to the United States would be the short range Il-18 which would require multiple fueling stops. Although

10609-411: Was used in the first Tu-104s. The Tu-114 had four sleeping compartments with three berths in each, and a "restaurant" cabin in the midsection of the aircraft — the loudest section on the aircraft — with eight tables, each of which had six seats in a face-to-face arrangement. During official flights the middle cabin was used as a restaurant for dining. VIPs like Nikita Khrushchev and his wife travelled in

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