RUSSIA: S7 Airlines, Gazpromneft-Aero And Alfa-Bank Introduce Blockchain Technology For Refuelling Aircrafts

S7 Airlines together with the operator Gazpromneft-Aero and Alfa-Bank, have, for the first time in Russia, used digital smart contracts based on blockchain technology for the refuelling of aircraft.

The new technology allows air companies to settle accounts more quickly and minimize the financial risks involved in transactions, as it does not require any prepayment or bank guarantees.

On the basis of digital smart contracts using the AFSC (Aviation fuel smart contracts) system, S7 Airlines agrees a preliminary volume of fuel, and a price for the fuel.

This data is used to prepare technical instructions for the driver of the refueling tanker in the airport. When the pilot of the aircraft requests the specific volume of fuel required for the flight from the operator, an online order blocking the relevant sum on the airline’s account is sent to the airline’s bank.

The bank sends an instant confirmation, which enables the refuelling to start.

When the refuelling is finished the funds are debited from the account, and the commercial departments of S7 Airlines and the fuel supplier exchange accounting documents.

The whole process takes 60 seconds. Today the first refuelling of an aircraft using a smart contract was carried out in Tolmachyovo international airport by the crew of flight number S7 3013 from Novosibirsk to Krasnoyarsk.

As a technological leader in the sector, S7 Airlines analyses promising new technologies, including blockchains, and, where appropriate, incorporates them into its processes.

We were the first to start using smart contracts for letter of credit transactions. After that we developed a blockchain platform to enable automated trade operations between several counter parties and used it to launch a service for exchange of payments with airline ticket agents.

Our next step will be a service to automate settlements with fuel suppliers. This is an automated transaction between three parties: the bank, the airline and the fuel supplier.

Once the aircraft has been refueled in accordance with the pre-agreed procedure, the figures are reconciled and the funds debited from the account.

This technology allows us to make exchanges of payments more transparent, eliminate a wide range of manual operations, and speed up our processes, says Pavel Voronin, the S7 Group’s Deputy General Director for Information Technologies.

This project has become an important milestone in the development of Alfa-Bank’s blockchain platform. We believe smart contract technology has an enormous potential.

They can enable us to resolve problems that would be too complex for traditional banks, and provide services to our clients as efficiently and quickly as possible, said Maksim Pershin, member of Alfa-Bank’s Executive Board and joint head of the Corporate Investment Bank block.

Gazpromneft Aero, a leader in its sector, is not only a pioneer in the implementation of IATA international standards for fuel supplies in Russia, but it also plays an active role in introducing the best international practices and innovative approach to make business more effective.

The use of this technology for the exchange of payments between airlines and fuel operators will boost the development of the whole aviation industry, said Vladimir Yegorov, Gazpromneft-Aero CEO.

All the operations are carried out strictly according to the procedure agreed by the parties to the digital smart contract, making settlements more transparent.


Tourism Observer

RUSSIA: Pobeda Goes To Pulkovo Airport

Aeroflot low-cost subsidiary Pobeda Airline plans to launch three new international routes from St. Petersburg Pulkovo Airport in October, the airport said.

The carrier starts 3X-weekly Milan Bergamo service Oct. 11; 4X-weekly London Stansted service Oct. 12; and daily Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen service Oct. 28.

The Moscow Vnukovo-based airline will compete on the St. Petersburg-London route with another Aeroflot subsidiary, Rossiya Airlines, which operates flights to Gatwick, and British Airways, flying to Heathrow.

On the Istanbul route, Pobeda will compete with Rossiya and Turkish Airlines, which are connecting Pulkovo with Istanbul Atatürk Airport.

Pobeda launched flights from Pulkovo in October 2015.

During the first seven months of 2018, the airline carried 577,000 passengers from Pulkovo, up 136% year-over-year (YOY).

The airline’s St. Petersburg network included 11 domestic and five international destinations in the IATA 2018 summer season.

Moscow Domodedovo-based S7 Airlines, the second biggest carrier in Russia after Aeroflot Group, also boosts a network from St. Petersburg.


Tourism Observer

RUSSIA: S7 Airlines Starts New Flights

S7 Airlines has used the last week to commence flights on 13 new city pairs.

Two of the oneworld carrier’s routes will be flown at low frequency – its sectors from Novosibirsk (OVB) to Neryungri (NER).

From the same Russian airport to Tokyo Narita (NRT) will be operated just weekly – whereas it will offer a daily rotation from Novosibirsk to Krasnojarsk (KJA).

As a result of this recent network expansion, S7 will offer 94 non-stop destinations from Moscow Domodedovo (DME), 67 from Novosibirsk, and 17 from St. Petersburg (LED).

S7 Airlines has used the last seven days to start eight new routes from four different Russian airports to destinations in Italy, Japan, Russia, Spain and Uzbekistan.

The longest sector is the 5,256-kilometre route from Moscow Domodedovo (DME) to Tenerife South (TFS), whereas the shortest city pair is the domestic hop from St. Petersburg (LED) to Perm (PEE), at 1,485 kilometres.

The average distance for all eight routes is 2,723 kilometres.

S7 Airlines will begin operating direct scheduled flights from Moscow to the Icelandic capital Reykjavik ahead of the upcoming FIFA World Cup, the company said in a statement published on the official website.

S7 Airlines, part of the Oneworld airline Alliance, will begin operating direct scheduled flights to Reykjavik on June 9, the statement said.

S7 Airlines will become the only Russian airline to offer direct flights to Iceland.

Iceland have qualified for the FIFA World Cup for the first time in history and will face Argentina, Nigeria and Croatia in Group D.

With a population of around 350,000, Iceland will be the smallest nation ever to play at the tournament.

The 2018 FIFA World Cup will be held between June 14 and July 15 at 12 stadiums across 11 Russian cities.

S7 Airlines, legally PJSC Siberia Airlines, is an airline headquartered in Ob, Novosibirsk Oblast, Russia with offices in Moscow.

It is Russia's biggest domestic airline, with its main bases at Domodedovo International Airport and Tolmachevo Airport.

S7 has operated scheduled passenger flights to destinations in Russia, as well as international services to Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, PR China, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Iceland, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea (South), Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Montenegro, Spain, Sweden, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkey, Turkmenistan, the United Arab Emirates and Uzbekistan.

S7 codeshares with the following airlines:

- Aegean Airlines

- Aeroflot

- Air Italy

- Air Moldova

- Asiana Airlines

- Aurora

- Belavia

- British Airways

- Cathay Dragon

- Cathay Pacific

- Cyprus Airways

- El Al

- Emirates

- Etihad Airways

- Hainan Airlines

- Iberia

- Japan Airlines

- Montenegro Airlines

- Nordavia

- NordStar

- Qatar Airways

- Royal Jordanian

- Singapore Airlines

- TAP Air Portugal

- Ural Airlines

- Uzbekistan Airways

- Yamal Airlines

On 29 May 2007, the airline announced a proposed order for 15 Boeing 787 Dreamliners scheduled for delivery in 2014, with an option for 10 additional aircraft.

However, the order was officially cancelled on 29 January 2009, with S7 stating that it was considering the possibility of taking the aircraft under a leasing scheme.

As of November 2008, all Soviet-made aircraft had left the fleet.

In April 2018, S7 renewed interest in the Sukhoi Superjet by planning to purchase 25 Sukhoi Superjet 75 aircraft, with an option of 50 more for the new modification of the Superjet family, and become the launch customer.

This choice is explained by replacing Embraer E-170 aircraft, due to their age. The airline plans to commence operations on this aircraft from 2023.

On 4 October 2001, Siberia Airlines Flight 1812, a Tupolev Tu-154M, registration RA-85693, en route from Tel Aviv to Novosibirsk crashed into the Black Sea off Sochi.

This after being hit with a S-200V surface-to-air missile fired as part of a Ukrainian Air Defense exercise staged off Cape Opuk or Chuluk in Crimea.

All 78 people on board were killed.

On 24 August 2004, Siberia Airlines Flight 1047, a Tupolev Tu-154B2, registration RA-85556, en route from Moscow to Sochi exploded and crashed due to a terrorist bombing near Rostov-on-Don, Russia, killing all 46 people on board.

On 9 July 2006, S7 Airlines Flight 778, an Airbus A310 carrying 193 passengers and 10 crew members, suffered a landing accident at the Irkutsk International Airport in Siberia.

The jet failed to decelerate on landing, overran the runway and crashed into a concrete barricade. 125 people died.


Tourism Observer

GERMANY: Germania Launches New Routes

Germania has commenced its first services to the French island of Corsica during the last seven days.

Weekly flights (Saturdays) from Dresden (DRS) and Nuremberg (NUE) were started to Bastia (BIA), the second busiest airport on the island after Ajaccio.

The 1,007-kilometre sector from the former airport will be flown by the airline’s 737-700s, while the service from the latter facility will be operated by a mix of Germania’s A320 family.

Both routes were launched on 19 May and neither faces any direct competition.

Germania, on 26 April, launched direct flights between Dresden (DRS) and St. Petersburg (LED).

The capital city of the state of Saxony became a new destination in the Russian airport’s route network and the seventh German city with direct scheduled service.

The LCC operates the city pair twice-weekly with its 737-700 fleet, leaving from the German city on Thursdays and Sundays and the return flights departing Russia on Fridays and Mondays.

In addition to Dresden, St. Petersburg offers direct connections to such German cities as Berlin Schonefeld and Tegel airports by Rossiya Airlines and S7 Airlines respectively.

Hamburg and Dusseldorf by Rossiya, Munich by Rossiya and Lufthansa.

Frankfurt by Lufthansa and Ural Airlines and Cologne Bonn by Pobeda. There is no direct competition on this sector.

Germania now serves the Vienna (VIE) to Rostock (RLG) route twice-weekly (Fridays and Sundays) from 26 May.

The flights, operated by an A319, depart from Rostock at 11:50 and land in Vienna at 13:20, and leave the Austrian capital at 14:05 and arrive back in the Hanseatic city at 15:35.

We are pleased to welcome a new airline at Vienna Airport, namely Germania.

The new route to Rostock makes it even easier for passengers to reach the northern part of Germany, says Julian Jager, Member of the Management Board of Vienna Airport.

The route faces no direct competition. The day before, the airline began weekly (Thursdays) rotations between Hamburg (HAM) and Varna (VAR).

Flown by Germania’s A319 fleet, the city pair will encounter resistance from incumbent SunExpress Germany, which also flies the route on a weekly basis.

The last of the trio of new routes commenced by the airline on 23 May was the addition of another route from its recently opened Palma de Mallorca (PMI) base.

Germania added a twice-weekly (Tuesdays and Fridays) service to Montpellier (MPL) on 23 May. Operated by the carrier’s 737-700 fleet, the 459-kilometre sector will face no direct competition.

Germania has commenced two new routes from Germany this week. The airline began weekly (Fridays) operations from Düsseldorf (DUS) to Gazipasa-Alanya (GZP) in Turkey.

The 2,617-kilometre sector will be flown by Germania’s A319 fleet. By contrast, its twice-weekly (Mondays and Thursdays) operation from Nuremberg (NUE) to Athens (ATH), will be flown on its 737-700s. Neither route faces any direct competition.

Germania has based a second aircraft at Berlin Schonefeld (SXF), and is using the fresh capacity to re-start weekly services (Fridays) to Sharm El Sheikh (SSH), thereby reviving a route between the German capital and the Red Sea resort that has not been available for four-and-a-half years.

The following day the carrier also began services to Fuerteventura (FUE), a route that will operate on a twice-weekly basis (Tuesdays and Saturdays).

Unlike the Egyptian sector, the Spanish city pair will see direct competition from Ryanair (twice-weekly) and Condor (weekly).

Both routes will be flown by the carrier’s 737-700 fleet. Additional new features in Germania’s winter flight schedule from Schönefeld include increased capacity to Hurghada and a new route to Gran Canaria which launches next week.

The airline is committed to a policy for growth at this base, as well as Berlin Tegel.

Germania will achieve 400% growth in Berlin, commented Clauspeter Schwarz, Germania’s COO. This is our response to market changes and a greater presence in the capital.

Engelbert Lütke Daldrup, CEO of Berlin Brandenburg said: We are very pleased with the increased commitment of Germania to Berlin.

The wider range of flight offerings, the development of its bases at our two locations, as well as the maintenance operations at Schonefeld make the airline a key partner for us.”


Tourism Observer

RUSSIA: NordStar Airlines Passes IATA Operational Safety Audit

Russia’s NordStar Airlines has successfully undergone an IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) confirming its compliance with more than 1,000 internationally approved aviation safety standards, the carrier reports.

NordStar’s IOSA certificate is valid through August 2018.

Annual audit is required to renew the approval.

Successful completion of the safety checks makes the airline eligible for joining IATA.

However, in its official statement NordStar gave no notion of its intention to do so.

Eleven Russian airlines are currently members of the international association.

Theser are Aeroflot and its subsidiary Rossiya Airlines, Nordavia, Nordwind Airlines, Pegas Fly, S7 Airlines, Ural Airlines, UTair Aviation, Vim Airlines, and also two cargo carriers: Volga-Dnepr and its subsidiary AirBridgeCargo.

NordStar Airlines, part of the Russian mining and smelting corporation MMC Norilsk Nickel, is Russia’s 15th carrier by passenger traffic.

Between January and July 2017 it carried 783,800 passengers, up 9.9% on the same period last year.

Its seat load factor increased 5 percentage points to 77.5%.

The airline sees its primary mission in providing air services between Krasnoyarsk Region in Siberia and major cities elsewhere in Russia.

The airline operates a fleet of five ATR 42-500 regional turboprops, a Boeing 737-300, and nine 737-800s.




Tourism Observer

RUSSIA: Ural Airlines Grew By 19% In August Alone

Ural Airlines, Russia’s fourth largest passenger carrier, saw its traffic grow 19% year-on-year in August.

The Yekaterinburg-based operator served more than 966,100 passengers.

The frequency of the airline’s flights increased to 6,010, up 18% on the same month last year. Out of this number, 3,721 flights were domestic; a further 889 were operated within the CIS, and the remaining 1,400 to further abroad.

Ural Airlines reports that since the beginning of the year, its traffic has grown 23% year-on-year to 5.223 million passengers.

The number of flights rose 16% to 36,092 (21,895 domestic, 6,616 within CIS, and 7,581 to further abroad).

The growth rate was slightly higher in the first six months of the year, at 25%.

The airline’s traffic grew faster in August than the industry average. According to the Federal Air Transport Agency (FATA), Russian carriers’ overall passenger traffic increased 15% last month, to 11.8 million.

In January-August, the country’s airlines transported 70.1 million passengers (up 19.9 year-on-year).

FATA has also published preliminary statistics on the top three Russian carriers’ performance in August.

Flag carrier Aeroflot served 3.2 million passengers (+15.4%); its subsidiary Rossiya Airlines, 1.4 million (+26%). S7 Airlines, a subsidiary of S7 Group, carried 1.1 million passengers (+1.7%). Its sister carrier, Globus Airlines, demonstrated a faster growth.

The difference is apparently explained by the group’s current strategy and its flexible approach to fleet management.



Tourism Observer

RUSSIA; S7 Airlines Opening New Flights From Moscow To Murmans

S7 Airlines, a oneworld® global airline alliance member, announced the opening of new flights from Moscow to Murmansk. Tickets are available now.

Starting 27 August 2017, there will be direct flights from the Moscow airport Domodedovo to Murmansk on Sundays and return flights on Mondays. Flights will depart from Domodedovo airport at 23:50 and arrive in Murmansk at 2:25. Return flights will depart from Murmansk airport at 5:15 and arrive in Moscow at 7:45. The flights will be carried out on modern and comfortable Airbus A319 airliners.

“A lot of people dream of seeing the northern lights. We are pleased to offer our passengers the way for their dreams to come true by taking direct flights of S7 Airlines to Murmansk, the real jewel of the Russian North. Besides, passengers from Murmansk will have the opportunity to travel to the cities of the expansive route network S7 Airlines with the connection at the Moscow airport Domodedovo,” says Igor Veretennikov, the Commerce Director of S7 Airlines.

Air tickets can be purchased at s7.ru, through the iPhone app or the Android app, and at any S7 sales office. You can also learn accurate flight information, book and buy tickets by calling our Contact Centre at 8 8008 700-0707 (free for Russia).

S7 Airlines (“Siberia” airlines brand, s7.ru) is a member of the oneworld® global aviation alliance.

The airline has a wide internal route network, created on the basis of air transport hubs in Moscow (Domodedovo) and Novosibirsk (Tolmachevo). S7 Airlines also performs regular flights to countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Europe, the Near East, Southeast Asia and countries of the Asia-Pacific region.

In 2007 the company received an official IATA certificate as an IOSA (IATA Operational Safety Audit) operator, becoming the second air carrier in Russia to have successfully passed the full international audit procedure for compliance with operational safety standards.

S7 Airlines is one of the most reliable airlines of Russia, it implements latest achievements of the world's industry in passenger services and develops its own services dynamically.

Today S7 Airlines has the newest and one of the most modern aircraft fleets on the Russian air transportation market. All flights of the airline are performed by the aircraft of the world’s leading manufacturers.

S7 Airlines is in top 100 of the best airlines of the world and ranks third in the Eastern Europe, as indicated by the authoritative international rating Skytrax.

S7 Airlines was a multiple winner of the Wings of Russia National Aviation Awards in different categories.

S7 Airlines was a multiple winner of the Cannes Lions advertising festival awards for implemented projects, and My Planet National Awards for discoveries in travel sphere.

S7 Airlines won “Best Russian Airline” at 2015 National Geographic Traveler Awards.

At the end of 2016, S7 Airlines became the winner of Skyway Service Award aviation award in three categories: the best airline in category “Economy Class, Domestic Scheduled Services”, “Best Loyalty Program” and “Best Online Customer Services.”

The airline is a member of the S7 Group of companies. In 2016 Group member airlines carried more than 13.1 million passengers.



Tourism Observer

RUSSIA: S7 Airlines Gets First Airbus A320

S7 Airlines, a oneworld®global airline alliance member, announces that it now has the first Airbus A320neo airliner. Today, the plane has been transferred to the airline at the manufacturer’s factory in Toulouse.

S7 Airlines has become the first Russian airline with the modern Airbus A320neo family aircraft in its air fleet. The airliner was obtained on lease from the leasing company BOC Aviation Limited.

“S7 Airlines is constantly updating its air fleet. We employ the latest developments of the world’s leading manufacturers. Airbus A320neo aircraft are more efficient in operation, their fuel consumption is reduced by 15% and the flight range is longer than that of the previous generation.

Soon the passengers of S7 Airlines will be the first in Russia to feel the new level of comfort offered by these modern aircraft. The aircraft of the new family will gradually replace all of the Airbus A320 in the air fleet,” says Vladislav Filev, Chairman of the Board of Directors of S7 Airlines.

“We congratulate our long-standing partner, the S7 Airlines, on receiving the first A320neo aircraft in Russia. We are sure that the airline will appreciate the high fuel efficiency of this model, as well as the advantages of its unification with the existing A320 air fleet.

We hope that the aircraft of the A320neo family will become the backbone of the airline fleet in the future,” notes John Leahy, Commerce Director of Airbus Commercial Aircraft.

The S7 Airlines aircraft is equipped with the latest Pratt & Whitney Pure Power PW1100G-JM engines and Sharklets wing tips made of composite materials, which improve the aerodynamic characteristics of the aircraft.

Airbus A320neo is the quietest aircraft among the airliners of its class. The level of external noise is 19 dB lower than the ICAO requirements (Chapter 4), and the area of the sound wake when taking off is 50% smaller than that of the aircraft of the previous generation.

The aircraft cabin is the widest among its competitors, it has improved sound insulation, the most capacious overhead bins and more space under the armchairs to accommodate cabin baggage. The interior design of the new aircraft was developed by PriestmanGoode, which based its solutions on light and modern updated corporate identity of S7 Airlines.

The new S7 Airlines airliner is designed to carry 8 business class passengers and 156 economy class passengers. The modern armchairs are equipped with sockets with a USB-connector, as well as with mobile devices holders. A small three-stage stand, located at eye level, allows you to fix a tablet or a smartphone on the back of the chair in front of you.

Airbus specialists upgraded the panels over passenger seats. They are more convenient to use and equipped with LED reading lamps, the light of which is more comfortable for the eyes.

The improved air conditioning system, developed by the manufacturer, guarantees fresh air and its even distribution in the cabin of the aircraft, allowing to completely recirculate the air every two minutes.

The airliner wears the renewed livery of S7 Airlines, developed by the British agency Landor. The new livery is an integral part of the updated, more concise corporate identity of S7 Airlines, which follows the latest trends in graphic design. The primary brand colour is still a bright shade of green, emphasising the unique, progressive and modern character of the airline.

Air tickets can be purchased at s7.ru, through the iPhone app or the Android app, and at any S7 sales office. You can also learn accurate flight information, book and buy tickets by calling our Contact Centre at 8 800 700-0707 (free for Russia).


S7 Airlines (“Siberia” airlines brand, s7.ru) is a member of the oneworld® global aviation alliance.

The airline has a wide internal route network, created on the basis of air transport hubs in Moscow (Domodedovo) and Novosibirsk (Tolmachevo). S7 Airlines also performs regular flights to countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Europe, the Near East, Southeast Asia and countries of the Asia-Pacific region.

In 2007 the company received an official IATA certificate as an IOSA (IATA Operational Safety Audit) operator, becoming the second air carrier in Russia to have successfully passed the full international audit procedure for compliance with operational safety standards.

S7 Airlines is one of the most reliable airlines of Russia, it implements latest achievements of the world's industry in passenger services and develops its own services dynamically.

Today S7 Airlines has the newest and one of the most modern aircraft fleets on the Russian air transportation market. All flights of the airline are performed by the aircraft of the world’s leading manufacturers.

S7 Airlines is in top 100 of the best airlines of the world and ranks third in the Eastern Europe, as indicated by the authoritative international rating Skytrax.

S7 Airlines was a multiple winner of the Wings of Russia National Aviation Awards in different categories.

S7 Airlines was a multiple winner of the Cannes Lions advertising festival awards for implemented projects, and My Planet National Awards for discoveries in travel sphere.

S7 Airlines won “Best Russian Airline” at 2015 National Geographic Traveler Awards.

At the end of 2016, S7 Airlines became the winner of Skyway Service Award aviation award in three categories: the best airline in category “Economy Class, Domestic Scheduled Services”, “Best Loyalty Program” and “Best Online Customer Services.”

The airline is a member of the S7 Group of companies. In 2016 Group member airlines carried more than 13.1 million passengers.



Tourism Observer

Cyprus Airways launches sales to Tel Aviv and St.Petersburg

Cyprus Airways announces the launch of air ticket sale for flights from/to Larnaca International Airport to/from Tel Aviv and St. Petersburg.

Direct flights to St. Petersburg will begin on June 1st and will be offered three times a week.

For this destination, Cyprus Airways also offers the option to fly through Domodedovo International Airport in Moscow, via an interline agreement with S7 Airlines. The Larnaca — Tel Aviv route will be operated three times a week starting June 4th.

Cyprus Airways tickets are offered in two categories of fares, Basic and Flex, with variations in features and additional services, such as baggage allowance, seat selection, changes etc.

Cyprus Airways will operate its Airbus A319 aircraft, offering 144 Economy seats.

In Autumn, the airline will announce a revised and extended flight schedule to be implemented in March 2018, with the arrival of a second aircraft of the same type. The airline is currently looking into adding more aircraft by the end of 2018.

A water arch welcomed Cyprus Airways’ inaugural flight on Friday, which returned from St. Petersburg to Larnaca airport.

“Today marks a significant milestone for the local aviation sector and the country as a whole,” George Mavrocostas, Chief Operations Officer said. “We are extremely happy that Cyprus Airways is flying, and we would like to thank travellers for their great support.”

For the second phase of its launch, in the next few months Cyprus Airways will announce a revised and extended flight schedule to be implemented in March 2018.

Cyprus Airways will be based at Larnaca airport and its launch will be implemented in two phases: phase one started this month with five destinations, and phase two in March 2018 with an extended flights schedule that will be announced in Autumn 2017.

Maria Kouroupi, Senior Manager Marketing and Communications of Hermes Airports said: “We welcome the launch of flights by Cyprus Airways and the first flight from Saint Petersburg. We look forward to working closely with the airline and we support all efforts for the expansion and development of the connectivity of the country.”

Cyprus Airways (CY, Larnaca) has commenced operations following its inaugural scheduled passenger flight on Thursday, June 1, between its Larnaca base and St. Petersburg, Russia. Services to Tel Aviv Ben Gurion in Israel, and Rhodes and Heraklion in Greece are expected to launch through month-end.

Though operations are currently on-board a single A319-100, leased from Miramonte, more aircraft are expected to be inducted as more destinations are added.

Charlie Airlines, the carrier's legal name, is a 40/60 joint-venture between Russia's S7 Group and a consortium of Cypriot investors. It acquired the right to the Cyprus Airways brand in July last year.

As it stands, Cyprus now has three active commercial airlines that, aside from Cyprus Airways, include Cobalt (CO, Larnaca) and Tus Airways (U8, Larnaca). The last of the start-ups - Orion Airways (FOH, Larnaca) - is currently in the process of securing its Air Operator's Certificate (AOC) followed by an Air Services Licence (ASL).

CYPRUS: Russian Airline To Open As Cyprus Airways

Cypriot carrier Charlie Airlines, co-founded by S7 Group of Russia, has received its air operator's certificate.

The airline will operate under the brand name of Cyprus Airways, the country's defunct national carrier.

The newly established operator expects to receive its commercial license shortly, after which ticket sales will open.

Earlier plans called for the sales to start before the end of 2016.

The airline's fleet currently consists of a single Airbus A319 narrowbody, which was transferred from S7 Airlines at the end of 2016.

The aircraft will be based at Larnaca International Airport.

Cyprus Airways expects to take delivery of a second Airbus А319 from S7 Airlines, which will in turn replace the two airliners with larger-capacity A321s.

No further fleet expansion plans have been disclosed as yet.

In mid-2016, S7 Airlines co-owner Vladislav Filev announced plans to establish air services between Cyprus and Russia, destinations elsewhere in continental Europe, and the UK.

Intentions to launch flights from Larnaca to Moscow's Domodedovo airport were voiced at the time, but no agreements have materialized yet.

Charlie Airlines Ltd. was registered in January 2016. A 40% stake is held by S7 Group; the remaining 60% belongs to Charlie Holdings Ltd., which was founded around the same time with Filev as the sole owner.

The plan is for the Russian co-owners to limit their combined stock to 40% eventually, seeing as the EU legislation restricts non-resident capital in local operators to 49%.

The remaining stock will be shared among undisclosed European partners.

Cyprus Airways' erstwhile namesake flag carrier went out of business in January 2015, effectively leaving the country without a national airline for one year.

Following that, at least two Cypriot-registered operators became operational: Tus Airways, owned by US and Cypriot citizens, and Cobalt Air, set up in conjunction with Andrew Pine who had previously co-managed Russia's failed low-cost attempt Avianova.

Cobalt positions itself as the new national carrier of Cyprus.

CHINA: Hainan Airlines, SilkAir, Who’s Flying Where?

Hainan Airlines adds double Laos link
Where? Haikou (China) to Vientiane and Luang Prabang (Laos)
When? Three times a week (twice to Vientiane, once to Luang Prabang), effective immediately
Who? Hainan Airlines
Why? Rising Chinese tourism and investment in Laos
Anything else? These are the first direct links between Laos and Hainan, China’s island province

Across the Sea of Japan
Where? Vladivostok (Russia) to Osaka Kansai (Japan)
When? Twice a week (reduced to once a week in May-June)
Who? S7 Airlines
Why? Reflects improved relations between Russia and Japan
Anything else? Vladivostok is only 1,020km from Osaka, but 9,100km from Moscow

SilkAir to make debut in Sri Lanka
Where? Singapore to Colombo (Sri Lanka)
When? Three times a week from April 2017
Who? SilkAir
Why? Subsidiary continues to take over more of Singapore Airlines’ regional services
Anything else? SIA will continue to operate daily flights on the route

Russian city gets international link
Where? Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, pictured (Russia) to Tokyo Narita (Japan)
When? Twice a week in summer 2017
Who? Yakutia Airlines
Why? Long-awaited international connection for city located north of Japan
Anything else? Located on the remote Kamchatka Peninsula, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky has no road links to the rest of the world

S7 Airlines Flying To Pisa

S7 Airlines announces the addition of Moscow — Pisa scheduled flights to the summer schedule of 2017. Tickets are available now.

Direct flights to the Pisa airport will start on April 26, 2017 and will run on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Flights will depart from Moscow airport Domodedovo at 08:00 and arrive at 10:55 local time. Return flights will depart at 11:50 and arrive in Moscow at 16:25. The flights will be performed on modern and comfortable Airbus 320 aircraft with economy and business class sections.

Pisa is located ten kilometers from beaches of the Ligurian Sea and it will take you only an hour to get to the Florence, capital of Tuscany, and two hours to get to Rome. The historical heritage and favorable location make the city one of the most popular destinations for both excursions nerds and fans of beach recreation.

“For the last 18 months, there was not direct service between Moscow and Pisa. Although Pisa is not only the world-famous sights but also the proximity to one of the most beautiful Italian cities, Florence. S7 Airlines launches direct scheduled flights to Pisa from where the passengers can begin travelling around the Tuscany with comfort: they can see the Leaning Tower of Pisa with their own eyes or get on a trip to Florence or Livorno”, Igor Veretennikov, Commerce Director of S7 Group, notes.

Pisa is the fifth Italian destination on the S7 Airlines flight map. The airline also performs scheduled flights to Verona, Naples and Turin and, in summer, to Genoa.

Air tickets can be purchased at s7.ru, through the iPhone app or the Android app, and at any S7 sales office. You can also learn accurate flight information, book and buy tickets by calling our Contact Centre at 8 800 700–0707 (free for Russia).

UAE: Emirates Enhances Connectivity To Russia With S7 Deal

Emirates and Russian carrier S7 Airlines have enhanced their partnership which is set to improve connectivity and benefits for customers across Russia.

Emirates and S7 Airlines have been in an interline partnership since 2003 which was further enhanced in 2008.

The new codeshare deal further builds on this strong partnership and sees the Emirates code added to more than 30 routes operated by S7 Airlines across Russia as well as on S7’s twice weekly service between Dubai to Novosibirsk.

It also allows S7 to reciprocally put its code on the Dubai to Moscow route operated by Emirates.

The new agreement allows Emirates customers to connect seamlessly through Moscow to a range of destinations: Anapa, Astrakhan, Barnaul, Chelyabinsk, Irkutsk, Kaliningrad, Kazan, Kemerovo, Krasnodar, Krasnoyarsk, Mineralny Vody, Nizhnekamsk, Nizhnevartovsk, Nizhniy Novgorod, Noviy Urengoy, Novokuznetsk, Novosibirsk, Omsk, Perm, Rostov-on-Don, Samara, Sochi, St. Petersburg, Stavropol, Tomsk, Tyumen, Ufa, Vladikavkaz, Volgograd, Voronezh and Yekaterinburg.

The extended partnership also creates a direct link under Emirates’ code between St. Petersburg and Moscow, allowing visitors to experience Russia’s two largest cities with a single travel itinerary.

Thierry Antinori, Emirates executive vice president said: “Our new codeshare agreement with S7 Airlines provides our passengers with increased choice, flexibility and ease of connection to different cities within Russia from Dubai, ultimately offering a smoother, more convenient travel experience.”

Based at Domodedovo Airport, S7 Airlines operates flights to more than 80 cities from its Moscow hub. Emirates customers travelling on any of the 30 or more S7 codeshare routes will enjoy the same luggage allowance they are entitled to on their Emirates flight and have the convenience of a single ticket.

All Emirates’ passengers on S7 operated flights will receive boarding passes on check-in at their first departure point for all connecting flights, providing a seamless travel experience.

Anton Eremin, S7 group deputy chief executive, said: “This new codeshare agreement with Emirates is an exciting development for S7 customers.

“It provides them with convenient, seamless access to Dubai and onwards to the rest of the world through Emirates’ extensive route network, direct from their local airport.”