MASCOW: Aeroflot has achieved a key strategic milestone and has once again occupied a spot among the world’s top 20 leading airlines by passenger traffic, returning to this group for the first time in nearly thirty years. According to data compiled by Flight Airline Business, an authoritative aviation publication, Aeroflot Group in 2016 ranked 18th among global carriers in terms of passengers carried during the year.
In addition, the Group was ranked 20th in the world in terms of traffic as measured by revenue passenger kilometers.
These achievements mean that Aeroflot has delivered on one of the key strategic targets of its 2025 Strategy, to become one of the top-20 global airlines by passenger traffic, significantly ahead of schedule.
In its analysis of the ranking, Flight Airline Business underscored the breakthrough character of Aeroflot’s achievement amidst a challenging backdrop. The publication wrote, “Russian operators enjoyed a bright return to profits, after the exchange rate and geopolitical challenges that hit carrier fortunes. Aeroflot, for example, turned a net loss of Rb 6.5 billion ($108 mln) in 2015 to a profit of Rb 38.8 billion last year.”
Passengers carried globally increased by 6% year-on-year in 2016, reaching 3.4 billion, according to the publication. Aeroflot Group saw passenger traffic increase by 10.3% in the same period, nearly twice the pace of global growth.
Aeroflot Deputy CEO for Strategy and Alliances Giorgio Callegari said: “Six years ago when we adopted the 2025 Strategy, many of our competitors claimed that no Russian airline would join the global elite in the foreseeable future. Today, however, Aeroflot has not only returned to the world’s top airlines by traffic, we have done it significantly faster than originally planned. We managed to achieve this despite the challenging macroeconomic situation, and while vastly improving the customer experience.”
Aeroflot CEO Vitaly Saveliev said: “Today we can proudly announce to citizens of Russia and the entire world that Aeroflot is officially back among the global passenger airline elite. After nearly 30 years we have regained our position as one of the strongest players in our sector globally. This is a reason to be proud and it strengthens Russia’s status as a great aviation power, a key priority for us as the nation’s flag carrier.
