Today, many Russians prefer to travel by plane. Of course, tickets for this type of transport are more expensive than, for example, for the same trains, but you can also get to your destination by air much faster. However, of course, people who fly, not least think about their safety. The list of Russian airlines today is quite wide, and most of them, fortunately, are considered reliable in this regard.
A bit of history
Many people remember that in the days of the USSR, only one company, Aeroflot, carried passengers by air. It was founded in 1921. Initially, it was given the name "Deruluft". In 1923 the company was renamed Dobrolet. The name "Aeroflot" was assigned to the civil air fleet of the RSFSR in 1932
New Companies
Unfortunately, in the 90s of the last century, the only Russian airline ceased to exist, breaking up into several small ones. Today Aeroflot aircrafts are once again plying the airspace of Russia and other countries of the world. However, toAt present, it is far from being the only carrier in our country. The list of Russian airlines includes both giants capable of competing with Aeroflot and small charter firms.
Criteria for selecting carrier security
Air accidents do not happen often, but usually end in a great tragedy with many casu alties. Therefore, the choice of an airline, of course, should be approached with all responsibility. Before buying a ticket for any flight, you should make sure that the carrier is able to ensure the safety of the flight. This can be done very simply.
Since 1999, by order of the Russian Federal Aviation Service, a program for monitoring the safety of civil transportation has been operating in our country. Within its framework, every ship flying in the airspace of Russia, whether foreign or domestic, can be checked for compliance with safety standards at any airport in the country. Based on the inspections carried out, a safety rating of carrier companies is compiled. After reviewing it, you can decide, among other things, whether it is worth using the services of a particular company.
The largest Russian carriers
What giants does the list of Russian airlines include? The rating of safe carriers will be presented to the reader's attention a little lower. The list of the largest domestic airlines bythe number of passengers carried and the size of the aircraft fleet is as follows:
- Aeroflot. This carrier, although no longer the only one, currently tops the list of Russian airlines with the largest fleet. The latter currently consists of 106 modern machines. This company is majority owned by the state.
- S7-Airlines ("Siberia"). This company is currently the leader in domestic transportation. This carrier has 42 aircraft in its fleet. The company operates flights on 80 routes, while only 26 of them are foreign.
- "Russia". This company is also owned by the state. Most of its flights are carried out by its aircraft to the countries of the former CIS and the Far East. However, Rossiya aircraft also fly to European countries. This carrier has a fleet of 30 aircraft.
- Utair. This company also owns 30 machines. Its main feature is the presence, including a helicopter fleet. This carrier is ranked 4th and 5th at the same time.
These are the largest Russian airlines. The list can also be supplemented by the carrier OrenAir (Orenburg and Orsk). This company is mainly engaged in charter flights. She has 29 aircraft in her fleet.
Rating of the safest airlines in Russia
Below, in descending order, we present you a list of Russian airlines that are considered (according to the rating of the Federal Air Transport Agency2015) the safest:
- Ural Airlines. Although this company was not included in the list of the 7 largest, today it tops the ranking of the most secure. During the entire existence of this carrier, there have been only 3 incidents with aircraft. And they all did without victims.
- S7 Airlines. On account of this carrier since the discovery of 3 major accidents. In 2001, the Tu-154 aircraft of the Siberia company was shot down by Ukrainians over the Black Sea. In this case, 178 people died. Another accident occurred with the "Tu-154" brand S7 Airlines (51 people). The next crash killed 125 passengers (A310). By now, this carrier is considered one of the most reliable in terms of security in Europe as well.
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Aeroflot. This company has four disasters. The most famous took place in 1994. The pilot put his 15-year-old son at the helm. Out of ignorance, the teenager pressed one of their levers, as a result of which the autopilot turned off. It was not possible to level the plane, and he went into a dive. This accident killed 75 people.
The list of Russian airlines in terms of safety can, of course, be continued. In principle, the control over compliance with the standards by legal entities engaged in air transportation is now quite serious. However, the companies listed above are currently considered the best in terms of security.
Ranking of companies with the oldest aircraft
Average agethe fleet in the Russian Federation for 2016 is 12 years. The list of Russian airlines with the oldest aircraft looks like this:
- Kagalymavia - 17.1 years old.
- Northern Wind - 14 years old.
- Nord-Avia - 14.
- Yamal - 13.7 years old.
- Ural Airlines - 12.3 years.
- UTair - 11.7.
- Orenburg Airlines - 10.8.
- Sibir - 9.6.
- Red Wings - 6.6.
- Aeroflot - 4.4.
Are any companies banned from flying to Europe?
Some passengers would like to know if there are any Russian air carriers that are not allowed to fly to EU countries. After all, these states have certain safety standards and specific requirements for the technical condition of aircraft. At the same time, "black lists" of companies that are prohibited from flying in European airspace are regularly compiled.
At the beginning of the new millennium, some Russian carriers really had to abandon flights to Europe. The list of banned Russian airlines included, among other things, such a giant as Ural Airlines (partially). The flights of old aircraft of Kuban Airlines, Airlines 400 and some others were also banned. However, these were not sanctionsEuropean Union. The ban came from Rostransnadzor and the Federal Air Transport Agency. Currently, ships of all Russian companies can fly to Europe.
