Photo: Marina Lystseva / TASS

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Russia’s Aeroflot Group carried 43.4 million passengers in 2016, up 10.3% compared to 39.4 million passengers in 2015. Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport-based Aeroflot Airlines carried 29 million passengers, up 11% compared to 26.1 million in 2015.

In addition to Aeroflot Airlines, Aeroflot Group includes Saint Petersburg-based Rossiya Airlines, Moscow-based low-cost carrier Pobeda Airlines and Russian Far East subsidiary Aurora Airlines, based in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.

Aeroflot Group operations in 2016

Aeroflot Group tallied 18.3 million international passengers in 2016, up 14.1% year-over-year (YOY). The Group carried 25.2 million domestic passengers during the year, a 7.6% increase YOY.

Overall passenger traffic for Aeroflot Group increased 14.8% YOY to 112.1 billion RPKs, with international traffic up 19.8% YOY to 63.4 billion RPKS and domestic traffic rising 8.9% to 48.7 billion RPKs.

The Group said growth in its international segment “was driven by the stable macroeconomic situation, increased flight frequencies and the launch of flights to new international destinations, as well as the development of Rossiya’s charter program and of Pobeda’s international route network.”

Total capacity at Aeroflot Group grew 10.3% in 2016 to 137.6 billion ASKs. While domestic capacity for the Group increased 3.7% YOY to 58.3 billion ASKs, international capacity was up 15.8% YOY to 79.3 billion ASKs.

The Group reported an 81.5% passenger load factor (PLF) for the year, up 3.2 points YOY. The Group’s international PLF was 80%, up 2.7 points from 2015; its domestic PLF was 83.5%, up 4.1 points from 2015.

Aeroflot Group’s fleet totaled 289 aircraft as of Dec. 31, 2016, up 12% (31 aircraft) from 2015. Additions to the Group’s fleet over the year included nine Boeing 737-800s, seven 747s, seven 777-300ERs, six Sukhoi SSJ100s, one Airbus A319, five DHC 8-Q400s, nine A320s and 12 A321s.

Five A319s, six A321s, four A320s, three 737-500s, two 737-800s, one 767, two 777200s and two Antonov An-148s were phased out over the year, the Group said.

In November 2016, Aeroflot canceled an order for 22 Boeing 787s, transferring purchase rights to Avia Capital Service, a leasing subsidiary of Russian government-owned industrial conglomerate Rostec, under an agreement among Aeroflot, Boeing and the lessor.

Earlier this month, Aeroflot announced the cancellation of an order for eight A350-800s, originally placed in 2007. The airline still has 14 A350-900s on Airbus’ order books, Airbus told ATW on Jan. 11.

Aeroflot Airlines operations in 2016

Aeroflot Airlines carried 14.9 million international passengers in 2016, up 10.6%; domestic passenger numbers were up 11.4% YOY to 14.1 million.

Overall passenger traffic at the airline grew 11.6% to 82.7 billion RPKs. International traffic increased 14% YOY to 53.3 billion RPKs and domestic traffic grew 7.4% YOY to 29.4 billion RPKs.

Capacity at Aeroflot Airlines increased 8.9% for the year to 101.8 billion RPKs. International capacity grew 11.9% to 67.4 billion ASKs while domestic capacity was 34.4 billion ASKs, up 3.3% YOY.

The overall passenger load factor for the airline was 81.3% for 2016, up two points from 2015.

The airline’s international PLF was 79.2%, up 1.5 points; domestic PLF was 85.4%, up 3.2 points from 2015.

Aeroflot Airlines increased its fleet by 22 aircraft in 2016, a 13.2% YOY rise. New aircraft entering the fleet in 2016 included six 737-800s, two 777-300ERs, six SSJ100s, 12 A321s and nine A320s. The airline phased out five A319s, two A320s, and six A321s over the year.

Earlier this month, Aeroflot filed bankruptcy documents for its former operating subsidiaries Orenburg-based Orenair and Rostov-on-Don-based Donavia. The two former subsidiaries are being folded into Rossiya Airlines.