Summary

  • Aeroflot deploys Boeing 777-300ERs on domestic and vacation routes due to sanctions.
  • Busiest routes are to Antalya, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Khabarovsk, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Vladivostok.
  • It is unclear how long the sanctions will last and where Aeroflot will send Boeing 777-300ERs next.

Aeroflot commenced operations over 100 years ago in July 1923 and has a strong history of connecting Russia to the rest of the world. However, like all Russian carriers, Aeroflot is currently faced with sanctions due to the country’s invasion of Ukraine.

As a result, Aeroflot is severely restricted on where it can fly internationally, and has since been deploying its sizable fleet of Boeing 777-300ERs on routes that may not have otherwise seen the airline’s largest aircraft.

Aeroflot Boeing 777-300ER Inflight

Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

According to ch-aviation, Aeroflot currently has a total of 26 Boeing 777-300ERs in its fleet, with an average age of 10 years old. Each aircraft can carry up to 427 passengers in a three-class configuration.

Using data for August 2024 from Cirium, an aviation analytics company, what are Aeroflot’s top five routes with the 777-300ER from its primary hub at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo International Airport (SVO)?

5

Moscow (SVO) – Antalya (AYT)

42 flights

Turkey’s Mediterranean coast is a popular vacation spot for Russians, so it makes sense that Aeroflot would regularly operate its highest-capacity aircraft to Antalya Airport (AYT), with 42 flights in August 2024. In terms of direct competition on the route, the airline goes head-to-head with Nordwind Airlines, Pobeda, and Southwind Airlines.

As a sign of the size of the market, Turkish Airlines also connects Antalya directly to two of Moscow’s other airports – Domodedovo International Airport (DME) and Vnukovo International Airport (VKO).

Given the current sanctions in place that prevent Russian carriers from operating to many countries worldwide, Antalya is the only international route to feature in this list.

In 2023, Antalya Airport saw a total of 35 million passengers, of which 29.5 million were international passengers, surpassing its pre-pandemic peak of 28.7 million international passengers in 2019.

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4

Moscow (SVO) – Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk (UUS)

65 flights

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk International Airport is located on the Russian island of Sakhalin, some 4,123 miles (6,636 km) from Moscow. Aeroflot operates an average of two flights per day in each direction with the Boeing 777-300ER in August 2024.

Aeroflot Boeing 777-300ER

The airline faces direct competition on the route in the form of Rossiya Airlines, which is also part of the Aeroflot Group). The only international services currently available from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk International Airport are:

  • Harbin (HRB) – Aurora
  • Beijing (PKX) – Aurora
  • Phuket (HKT) – Ikar charter flights

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3

Moscow (SVO) – Khabarovsk (KHV)

106 flights

Aeroflot plans to operate a total of 106 flights in each direction between Moscow and Khabarovsk in August 2024.

Located in the far east of Russia, Khabarovsk Novy Airport (KHV) is one of the larger airports in the area, with international services to a range of regional destinations, including:

  • Tokyo (NRT) – Yakutia Airlines
  • Bangkok (BKK) – Aeroflot
  • Phuket (HKT) – Aeroflot
  • Sanya (SYX) – Aeroflot
  • Tashkent (TAS) – Uzbekistan Airways.
Aeroflot Boeing 777-300ER

Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

The airport is a hub for Aurora, which commenced operations in December 2013 and today operates a fleet of 24 aircraft, including eight Airbus A319s, three Sukhoi Superjet SSJ100s, and eight DHC Dash 8s.

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2

Moscow (SVO) – Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky (PKC)

108 flights

Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky Airport (PKC) is situated on the Kamchatka Peninsula, making it the easternmost domestic destination to see Aeroflot’s Boeing 777-300ERs.

The carrier plans to operate a total of 108 flights with its 777-300ERs in each direction to and from Moscow in August 2024.

Rossiya Airlines is the only other airline to operate the route, with the vast majority of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky’s other direct services being to domestic destinations in the region, such as Yakutsk (YKS), Vladivostok (VVO), and Magadan (GDX).

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1

Moscow (SVO) – Vladivostok (VVO)

111 flights

Aeroflot flies between its hub at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo International Airport (SVO) and Vladivostok International Airport (VVO) up to four times per day with the Boeing 777-300ER. The only other airline that operates the route is Rossiya Airlines.

An Aeroflot Boeing 777 just after take off.

Photo: Fasttailwind | Shutterstock

Aeroflot connects Vladivostok with major cities across Russia and a handful of international destinations, including Bangkok (BKK), Beijing (PKX), Harbin (HRB), and Phuket (HKT).

Vladivostok International Airport is also one of the few airports in the world to have a direct link to Pyongyang (FNJ) in North Korea, operated by Air Koryo.

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Aeroflot Boeing 777-300ER routes

Faced with Western sanctions, Aeroflot has had to be created where it operates its Boeing 777-300ERs and has chosen to deploy them on busy domestic routes and to popular vacation destinations.

It remains to be seen how long these sanctions will be in place and where the carrier will send its largest aircraft if and when they come to an end.

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