MOSCOW, July 3, 2017 /PRNewswire/ —

Aeroflot is the #1 airline by seats flown on long-haul routes between Europe and Asia in Summer 2017.

Aeroflot’s capacity on Europe–Asia flights over 4,000 kilometres grew 12% versus Summer 2016, according to data from OAG Schedules Analyser. The Russian flag carrier has overtaken last year’s top airline for Europe–Asia capacity, Lufthansa, the data shows.

“Growing transit capacity on routes between Europe and Asia is one of our highest strategic priorities, and this data clearly illustrates the success of our efforts,” Aeroflot CEO Vitaly Saveliev said. “It is of particular significance that we have taken the #1 spot in an open and highly competitive segment of the market. Aeroflot Group is perfectly positioned on transit routes between Europe and Asia, and we intend to realise our potential to the full.”

Aeroflot flies to 52 non-Russian destinations in Europe and 13 non-Russian destinations in Asia, including four Chinese cities – Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Guangzhou. Boosting transit traffic between Europe and Asia is a strategic priority for the airline, as it takes advantage of its modern and favourably positioned hub at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport.

Long-haul capacity connecting Europe and Asia is set to grow by 6% overall this year, according to anna.aero’s analysis of OAG data. This compares to 2% growth in both 2016 and 2015.

Aeroflot is increasingly recognised as a leader in the Asian market. In April 2017, Aeroflot was named Favourite International Airline in China at the prestigious Flyer Awards in Shanghai. Aeroflot Russian Airlines traffic as measured by passengers carried grew by 13.1% in the first five months of 2017. Aeroflot Group passengers carried increased by 15.9% over the same period.

About Aeroflot

Aeroflot is Russia‘s flagship carrier and a proud member of the SkyTeam global airline alliance. Aeroflot and its partners serve 1,062 destinations in 177 countries worldwide. In 2016, Aeroflot carried 29 million passengers (43.4 million passengers as Aeroflot Group including subsidiaries).

Aeroflot became the first Russian airline to be awarded Four Star Airline status by Skytrax in recognition of the high-quality of its customer service. In 2017, Aeroflot was named Best Airline in Eastern Europe for the sixth time at the Skytrax World Airline Awards.

In 2017, Aeroflot was named the most powerful brand in Russia and the world‘s strongest airline brand by leading valuation and strategy consultancy Brand Finance. Aeroflot was also named Best Major Airline in Europe by TripAdvisor travellers and recognised as the Favourite International Airline in China at the Flyer Award Ceremony 2017.

Aeroflot operates one of the youngest fleets in the world with 197 aircraft. Aeroflot is based in Moscow, at Sheremetyevo International Airport.

Aeroflot is among the global leaders in aviation safety, with a European Community Safety Assessment of Foreign Aircraft (SAFA) Index, the main globally recognized safety parameter, comparable to global peers.

The first Russian carrier to enter the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) register, renewing its registration for the seventh time in 2017, Aeroflot has successfully passed the IATA Safety Audit for Ground Operations (ISAGO) and is fully ISO 9001:2008, ISO 14001:2004 compliant.

Find out more at https://www.aeroflot.com.