VLADIMIR KARNOZOV / MOSCOW
Aeroflot made a profit of around 900 million roubles ($29 million) last year, down on a 1.5 billion rouble forecast, due to traffic loss after 11 September.
Total passenger traffic climbed 14.3%, however, thanks to a 16.4% domestic rise to 1.63 million passengers. Last year, the Russian flagcarrier flew 5.83 million passengers, 731,000 more than in 2000, while keeping the average seat load factor unchanged at 65.8%. Aeroflot cargo figures were down, at 101,700t, due to the gradual withdrawal of Ilyushin Il-76TDs. An additional McDonnell Douglas DC-10 is expected to join the fleet by the end of the month to allow the launch of Frankfurt-Seoul services next month and Frankfurt-Beijing in April. Both routes have a stop-over in Moscow.
Meanwhile, the 70-seat Tupolev Tu-134 is being removed from the airline's European services due to the enforcement of International Civil Aviation Organisation Chapter 3 noise regulations in April. As a result, the airline is dropping flights to Bratislava, Dublin, Ljubljana, and Skopje. Aeroflot wants to lease Western aircraft below 100 seats until the 102-seat Tu-334 is available.
Source: Flight International
