Russian Airlines and Their Aircraft

In Soviet times, the 'Fly Aeroflot' advertising slogan was something of a mockery, as there was no other airline to fly. Starting in 1992, however, the Soviet flag carrier started facing competition from newly established airlines such as Transaero and Volga-Dnepr. The deregulation process was speeded up by the break-up of the Soviet Union, with the number of airlines big and small reaching 400! Some have vanished since, but others have sprung up in their place.

The process has considerably livened up the Russian civil air transport scene and improved the operating standards in the industry as the air carriers compete fiercely to attract passengers - not to mention the multitude of eye-catching liveries seen at Russian airports today.

This full-color album covers the major airlines operating in Russia today, illustrating the types operated by each carrier and the various color schemes worn by them, making more than 300 photos which will be of great interest to enthusiasts and modelers. A brief history and fleet details are provided for each airline, as are detailed photo captions.