Air Volga
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| Founded | 1992 (following the dissolution of Aeroflot) | ||||||
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| Ceased operations | 2010 (acquired by RusLine) | ||||||
| Operating bases | Volgograd International Airport | ||||||
| Headquarters | Volgograd, Russia | ||||||
| Website | www.vae.ru (defunct) | ||||||
LCC Air Volga (Russian: ООО «Авиакомпания Во́лга») was an airline headquartered in Volgograd, Russia, operating scheduled passenger flights as well as holiday charters out of its base at Volgograd International Airport.[1]
History
When Aeroflot was dissolved in 1992,[2] its Volgograd-based division became an independent company known as Volga Airlines,[1] having inherited a number of Soviet aircraft. The airline was renamed Volga Aviaexpress (Russian: ООО «Волга Авиа-экспресс») in 1998, and again Air Volga on 24 November 2008.[1] In February 2009, the Bombardier CRJ200 became the first Western-built aircraft to be operated by Air Volga. After the initial two 50-seat Bombardier aircraft joined the fleet, another four arrived in November of that year.[3]
On 1 April 2010, Air Volga declared bankruptcy, and all flight operations were stopped. Its assets and brand name was acquired by RusLine,[1] along with the route network and CRJ200 fleet.[3] The Air Volga name thus survived, currently being used for the marketing of regional RusLine flights.
Route network
Between 2006 and 2010, Volga Aviaexpress/Air Volga operated scheduled flights to the following destinations:[4]
| Country | City | Airport |
|---|---|---|
| Armenia | Yerevan | Zvartnots International Airport |
| Azerbaijan | Baku | Heydar Aliyev International Airport |
| Kazakhstan | Aktau | Aktau Airport |
| Russia | Moscow | Domodedovo International Airport |
| Russia | Nalchik | Nalchik Airport |
| Russia | Saint Petersburg | Pulkovo Airport |
| Russia | Sochi | Sochi International Airport (seasonal) |
| Russia | Surgut | Surgut International Airport |
| Russia | Volgograd | Volgograd International Airport (base) |
| Russia | Yekaterinburg | Koltsovo Airport |
| Turkey | Antalya | Antalya Airport (seasonal) |
| Turkey | Bodrum | Milas-Bodrum Airport (seasonal) |
| Turkey | Dalaman | Dalaman Airport (seasonal) |
Fleet
Over the years, the following aircraft types were operated:
| Aircraft | Introduced | Retired |
|---|---|---|
| Antonov An-2[5] | ||
| Bombardier CRJ200[3] | ||
| Tupolev Tu-134[1] | ||
| Yakovlev Yak-40[1] | ||
| Yakovlev Yak-42[1] | ||
Accidents and incidents
- On 25 January 1995, a Volga Airlines Yakovlev Yak-40 (registered RA-87464) was damaged beyond repair when it overran the runway on landing at Rostov-on-Don Airport, subsequently colliding with a concrete wall. The ten passengers and four crew members on the flight from Volgograd survived the accident, which was later attributed to pilot error.[6]
- On 2 June 1995, the twelve people on board a Volga Airlines Antonov An-2 (registered CCCP-68142) died when the aircraft crashed in poor weather conditions near Volgograd.[5]
- The Bombing of Flight 1303 on 24 August 2004 with its 44 fatalities marks the worst accident in the history of the airline. A bomb detonated on board the Tupolev Tu-134 (registered RA-65080) en route a flight from Moscow to Volgograd, resulting in the aircraft crashing in Tula Oblast. Nearly simultaneously, another bomb was exploded on a Siberian Airlines flight. Female suicide terrorists from Chechnya were made responsible for these attacks.[7]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Information about Air Volga at the Aero Transport Data Bank
- ↑
- "The Bullish Bear (page 20)". Flight International. April 8–14, 1992. pp. 20–23. Archived from the original on 2012-10-18. Retrieved 18 October 2012.
- "The Bullish Bear (page 21)". Flight International. Archived from the original on 2012-10-18. Retrieved 18 October 2012.
- "The Bullish Bear (page 22)". Flight International. Archived from the original on 2012-10-18. Retrieved 18 October 2012.
- "The Bullish Bear (page 23)". Flight International. Archived from the original on 2012-10-18. Retrieved 18 October 2012.
- 1 2 3 List of the Bombardier CRJ200s operated by Air Volga, at planespotters.net
- ↑ Archived flight schedules of Volga Aviaexpress/Air Volga at web.archive.org: February 2006October 2007October 2008August 2009
- 1 2 June 1995 Volga airlines accident report at the Aviation Safety Network
- ↑ January 1995 Volga Airlines accident report, at the Aviation Safety Network
- ↑ Report of the bombing of Flight 1303 at the Aviation Safety Network
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