Published: 3/27/1998

Aeroflot-Russian International Airlines (ARIA) presented a new timetable on 19 March. Nikolai Akimov, the head of schedules planning department, said that it will be the first one in the company's history where the priority is given to commercial interests rather than political interests. The summer timetable focuses on new Boeing 777s and 737s. The first of both types arrive in May. The 777 will fly to New York five times a week and twice to London (this rather short distance will be used for crew training). There will also be increased frequencies to Chicago, and with the arrival of the second 777 in October, the US frequencies will be further increased. New 767 flights are planned from St.Petersburg-New York, occasionally supplemented by the 777. It is planned, after evaluation, to open services to Tokyo, up to three flights a week. This year Aeroflot should receive six 737s out of ten ordered. The first will fly routes linking Moscow with Western Europe - initially to Vienna and Geneva, and then to Tsurikh and Amsterdam. Old Tu-154s currently on these routes will be moved to intra-CIS sectors. However, the domestic passengers will also have a chance to enjoy Boeings on the routes to Novosibirsk and, probably, Baku, Erevan and Chimkent. Akimov says that the new Boeings will be flown flat out: on returning from daylight flights to Europe, they will then be flown to the East and South, so that their technical and turn-around capabilities will be used to the fullest extent. The delivery of the two additional second-hand A310s on operational lease has been delayed. After extra modification work and repair, they will fly to southeast countries, including India (Delhi and Calcutta) and Vietnam (to Ho Chi Min airport with a stop-over in Bombay). The Soviet types will work hard as well, especially on the traditional tourist lines to the Mediterranean resorts, to where the frequencies will be increased to twice weekly to meet fully the existing demand on this market. To Larnaka, Aeroflot will fly seven flights a week in daylight and three at night. Akimov says that this year Aeroflot noticeably increasing its frequencies to Europe, especially to Lisbon, Prague, Brussels, Milan and Rome. Services to almost all European capitals will be flown daily. Whenever possible, a wider-body aircraft will be used. On the intra-CIS sector Aeroflot resumes services to Nizhny Novgorod and Omsk on 29 March. Then, in April, it opens flights to Sochi (twice daily with the Il-86), Anapa and Krasnodar. In all, the summer timetable contains services to 85 foreign countries, including six in the CIS. There are 131 destinations outside Russia and 16 within the country (102 flights a week). Such a developed network will allow Aeroflot to achieve the highest figures in ARIA's history, with 672 flights weekly, including 550 from Moscow. At the same time, Aeroflot ceases services to Santiago, Leipzig, Kuhln, Djibuti, Bamako, Uganda and Lome as these are largely unprofitable routes. According to Akimov, Aeroflot has resources to add some 20 more flights a week to the timetable (mostly additional ones to Novosibirsk, Samara and Nizhny Novgorod), so that the overall weekly figure might exceed 700. The regular charter programme calls for over 50 weekly flights in the interests of tourist agencies. The bulk of flights will be to Spain, Greece, Turkey, Italy and Turkey. Except for the traditional Il-86 and Tu-154, there will be more sorties on the A310, 737 and 767. In all, in the height of the tourist season, up to 14 Il- 86 flights will be flown to Cyprus and 13 to Antalia. In order to smooth the peaks in traffic, Aeroflot will offer low tariffs, at $150 for round trip Moscow-Larnaca. A 40% increase is planned in charters to Barcelona, up to the level of eight Il-86s a week. (VZ)(AL398.5)

Article ID: 123