Aeroflot History
February 9, 1923, is considered the official birth date of Russian civil aviation, when the Labour and Defence Council issued a resolution entitled “On empowering the Central Air Fleet Administration to handle technical supervision over airlines and on founding the Civil Aviation Council.”
In the 1920s, after the end of World War I, European countries increasingly used aviation for peaceful purposes; transporting passengers, mail and cargo. Russia kept pace with its neighbours with flights abroad, generally operated using re-equipped warplanes.
On May 1, 1922, flights on the first international route – Moscow-Konigsberg (part of Germany at that time) – were launched and later extended to include Berlin.
July 15, 1923, marked the introduction of the first regular domestic route between Moscow and Nizhny Novgorod.
On February 25, 1932, the Central Administration of the Civil Air Fleet was founded and “Aeroflot” was adapted as the official abbreviation of the country’s civil aviation service.
In 1956 Aeroflot launched the world’s first jet, the TU-104, to operate on Russia’s domestic and international routes.
In August 1959, Sheremetyevo Airport was opened with the primary task of accommodating international flights.
In the late 1950s, the TU-114, the world’s largest aircraft equipped with more efficient turbo-prop engines, underwent rigorous testing and was put into commercial operation by Aeroflot.
In January 1971, the Aeroflot Central Administration of International Air Traffic was established within the framework of the International Airline Transportation Administration, and became the industry’s sole enterprise authorized to operate international flights. Abroad the airline was known as “Aeroflot Soviet Airlines”
In 1980, Aeroflot was named the general carrier of participants in the XXII Olympic Games
held in Moscow. A new international airport, Sheremetyevo 2, capable of simultaneously handling 31 aircraft of any type, was constructed in order to welcome athletes and guests to the capital from all over the world. The official opening ceremony was held on May 6.
In 1991, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, former Soviet republics and regions in Russia began founding their own airline companies. Our company was the successor to the Aeroflot name and trademark of the former Soviet air carrier. In June of that year, the “Aeroflot Soviet Airlines” Commercial Production Alliance was created, which was transformed into the open stock company “Aeroflot Russian International Airlines” on July 28, 1992. At the same time, the airline began operating foreign aircraft. The first foreign aircraft to appear at Aeroflot were the leased A310-300 manufactured by Airbus Industry. Two years later, the company acquired Boeing 767-300ER aircraft, which adhere to the highest ecological and noise standards.
In 1994, the airline acquired Russian-made third generation Il-96-300 aircraft for international flights, which fully adhere to the noise standards established by the International Civil Aviation Organization. In late 1995, the airline leased the DC-10-30F long-haul freight carrier.
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