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Founded | 1992Aeroflot) | (following the dissolution of||||||
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Ceased operations | 2010RusLine) | (acquired by||||||
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 and holiday charters from its base at Volgograd International Airport.[1]
History
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2f/Volga_AviaExpress_Yakovlev_Yak-42_Karakas.jpg/220px-Volga_AviaExpress_Yakovlev_Yak-42_Karakas.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/41/Air_Volga_CRJ200_Pichugin.jpg/220px-Air_Volga_CRJ200_Pichugin.jpg)
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 14 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] | 2009
|
2010
|
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 was the worst incident 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
- ^ a b c d e f g Information about Air Volga at the Aero Transport Data Bank
- ^ "The Bullish Bear". Flight International. 8–14 April 1992. pp. 20–23. Archived from the original on 23 May 2013. Retrieved 18 October 2012.
- ^ a b c "List of the Bombardier CRJ200s operated by Air Volga, at planespotters.net". Archived from the original on 2016-03-16. Retrieved 2011-01-08.
- ^ Archived flight schedules of Volga Aviaexpress/Air Volga at web.archive.org: February 2006October 2007October 2008August 2009
- ^ a b 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