Support The Moscow Times!

Aeroflot to Create New Budget Subsidiary by End of 2014

Russia's flagship airline, Aeroflot, will create a new low-cost subsidiary to replace sanctions-slain Dobrolyot by the end of the year, Transportation Minister Maxim Sokolov said Friday, Interfax reported.

The EU imposed sanctions on Dobrolyot in July because the company operated flights to Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in March. The sanctions derailed the company's Boeing 737 leases, which were provided by an Irish company, leaving the carrier plane-less after less than two months of service.

Aeroflot has not given up on the low-cost business model, however, and so a new legal entity will be formed in an attempt to resurrect the project by the end of 2014, Sokolov said.

Aeroflot CEO Vitaly Savelyev on Monday said the new budget airline will begin flights to Russian towns such as Samara, Perm, Ufa and Volgograd in October, adding that the decision to fly to Crimea would depend on consumer demand, but his time frame appears to have been too ambitious.

… we have a small favor to ask.

As you may have heard, The Moscow Times, an independent news source for over 30 years, has been unjustly branded as a "foreign agent" by the Russian government. This blatant attempt to silence our voice is a direct assault on the integrity of journalism and the values we hold dear.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. Our commitment to providing accurate and unbiased reporting on Russia remains unshaken. But we need your help to continue our critical mission.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just 2. It's quick to set up, and you can be confident that you're making a significant impact every month by supporting open, independent journalism. Thank you.

Continue

Read more