Aeroflot's budget airline Pobeda, or "victory," will charge a tariff of 99 rubles ($1.49) on select routes within Russia for a limited period, the carrier said on its website Wednesday.
The sale applies to flights between Moscow's Vnukovo airport and the cities of Arkhangelsk, Belgorod, Nizhnyevartovsk, Perm, Tyumen, Ufa and Volgograd. The offer will run from Feb. 10 to February 15, and is good for flights between Feb. 17 through March 28.
The tariff, however, does not represent the final ticket price, which includes taxes and duties.
According to Pobeda's website, a round-trip flight to the historic northern seaport of Arkhangelsk on Thursday, Feb. 26 and returning Tuesday, March 3, costs 1,051 rubles ($16). Flights booked for weekend travel seemingly did not offer the 99 ruble rate, and cost between 4,000 and 5,000 rubles ($60-$75). ?
Low-coster Pobeda was initially launched last summer under the name Dobrolyot, or "good flight." Dobrolyot was subsequently grounded after falling afoul of Western sanctions for its flights to Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine last March.
The airline was then re-branded as Pobeda, invoking Russia's victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. The Crimean route was cut, allowing the carrier to relaunch operations on Dec.1.
Besides the seven routes currently on sale, Pobeda offers flights to Vladikavkaz, Yekaterinburg, Makhachkala, Sochi, and Surgut. By 2017 Pobeda, which is Russia's only budget airline, aims to transport 10 million passengers a year and run 45 domestic and international routes, according to the company's web site. The company operates the narrow-body Boeing 737-800.