Domestic air carriers live a difficult and intense life. The fate of many of them is not simple and even tragic. So, Domodedovo Airlines has been building its way for a long time, going uphill, but it ended sadly enough.
Origin
In the 1960s, the formation of civil aviation continued in the USSR. Soviet designers create civilian aircraft that are not inferior in their characteristics to Western competitors. Over the sky of the USSR fly ANs, Tu and ILs. The emergence of new aircraft requires the creation of airlines and airports. In 1960, the idea of building an airport in Domodedovo near Moscow and opening an air carrier on its basis was born. This is how the "Domodedovo Civil Aviation Production Association" was born in 1964. The company is conceived as the largest player in the domestic transportation market and the most modern airline group in the country. March 25, 1964 her board makes its first official flight from Moscow to Sverdlovsk.
Soviet period
The base of the new civil aviation association was 206, 211, 212 flight units from Vnukovo. Aircraft and crews ensured the implementation of long-haul flights. For thirty consecutive years, the future Domodedovo Airlines was the largest air carrier in the USSR. Along with Aeroflot, the Domodedovo detachment carried out a huge number of domestic and foreign shipments. Over the year, the airline carried an average of more than 70 million passengers. The squadron was constantly replenished with new sides and developed quite productively until the sunset of the USSR.
Adjustment time
In 1992, Leonid Sergeyev became the head of the airline , it was on his shoulders that the difficult changes of perestroika fell. In 1998, the Domodedovo Airlines open joint-stock company, in which 51% of the shares are owned by the state, becomes the legitimate assignee of the Domodedovo Production Association of Civil Aviation. The government of the country transfers to the society a fleet of aircraft, production facilities and engines of the former squadron. In total, about two thousand people go to work at the new enterprise. The management was very grateful to the progenitor. In honor of the founding fathers, the original squadrons remained behind the squadrons. So, the 206th detachment for more than 55 years.
The management of the Domodedovo Airlines company continued the traditions of the Air Traffic Safety Department, which were distinguished by a reasonable personnel and production policy. This made it possible to maintain a high-class team even in difficult perestroika times. The airline has always been careful about the experience that has allowed it to become one of the most stable and safe airlines not only in Russia but also in the world over several decades of existence. For all years, Domodedovo Airlines has not had a single plane crash.
Privatization of the 90s not only gave the airline independence, but also turned its Domodedovo home airport into an independent enterprise. Then, such a development was a natural course of development of the industry, but subsequently for the air carrier it will become a challenge.
However, in general, the post-Soviet period was very successful for the company. She is developing a fleet of aircraft and expanding a flight map, and is engaged in the training of highly qualified specialists. Three times, Domodedovo Airlines was awarded the prestigious Russian Wings of Russia award in 1999, 2000 and 2001 as the airline of the year, which had more than 1 billion pkm of domestic flights.
Alliance
In 2004, the airline attracted the attention of large businessmen - the Abramovich brothers, they buy 49% of the shares through their KrasAir airline and come up with a proposal to reorganize Domodedovo Airlines. In the same year, Domodedovo Airlines OJSC entered into partnership agreements with KrasAir, Omskavia, Sibaviatrans and Samara. So the alliance of Russian airlines AiRUnion appears. The enlargement allowed the companies to unite the fleet and expand the flight map, increasing the number of passengers. The alliance continued to maintain a share of state presence in the company, but it was reduced to 45%. In 2007, AiRUnion was included in the list of strategic enterprises of the country.
In 2005, the company opens its website where you can directly buy plane tickets.
Flight destinations
At the dawn of its formation, the Domodedovo air squad was focused on domestic transportation, the company had to satisfy the growing needs of citizens to move around a huge country. But gradually the geography of coverage is growing, the company goes international.
By 2008, Domodedovo Airlines, whose flight directions are only growing, cover all of Europe, Asia and Africa. Regular and charter flights are established with the Far East, Siberian cities and the south of the country, neighboring countries, as well as Spain, Indonesia, India, Malaysia, Thailand, China, Portugal, and the alliance flew to more than twenty countries.
Fleet
At the dawn of its creation, Domodedovo Airlines was equipped with the most modern aircraft at that time:
- Tu-114. The famous Soviet aircraft for long-haul flights. The service was offered in two classes: the first - three-seater compartments, the second - salons with rows of armchairs. The aircraft was the record holder of its time: it is the fastest and largest turboprop board in the world.
- Tu-154. Soviet long-lived aircraft, it has been in operation for over 40 years. This is the most massive jet engine in the Soviet Union, it served until the end of the 20th century, then it began to be massively decommissioned.
- IL-62. The IL-62 model was the most popular and successful. Domodedovo Airlines was one of the first to launch the operation of this intercontinental Soviet aircraft with a jet engine and parted with it only in the 90s.
- IL-96-300. The famous Soviet wide-body board for long-haul transportation. It was on this model that famous flights were made, for example, "Moscow - Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky - Moscow".
In the late 90s, the air carrier planned to modernize and replace the fleet with more modern machines, but the plans were not destined to be realized.
Home airport
The airline "Domodedovo Airlines" was originally created to operate at the airport of the same name, which was opened two years earlier. The airport has always been distinguished by the fact that it has grown rapidly and modernized. Domodedovo was created to serve primarily domestic flights, but by the 90s and international destinations got their place in the form of a new hall.
In 1992, Domodedovo received the official status of an international airport. After the restructuring, the enterprise becomes private, the period of its true prosperity begins. At the end of the 20th century, the widest modernization and reconstruction of the facility was carried out, this significantly increases throughput, and in 2003 Domodedovo was named the largest among hundreds of airports in the world.
Today, Domodedovo is a modern complex, in terms of congestion it occupies the twentieth place in Europe and the third in Russia. In 2006, the airport administration undergoes a rigorous audit and signs a security protocol with the United States and Europe. In Domodedovo there are two runways. The first has a unique cover for Russia. In 2008, an automatic baggage sorting line was put into operation at the airport, which significantly accelerated the process of passenger service.
In 2011, the Domodedovo passenger flow exceeded 25 million people.
Domodedovo celebrated its 50th anniversary without a partner and satellite, the Domodedovo Airlines airline, which in its time contributed a lot to the development and establishment of the airport.
Flight attendant code
For large airlines, the level of service for which flight attendants are responsible is extremely important, and Domodedovo Airlines is no exception. Flight attendants, photos of which can decorate any glossy magazine, are the pride of the airline.
The stewardesses of Domodedovo Airlines were wearing yellow-sand suits with vests and cardigans and white blouses, and a scarf in the same color was tied around her neck. The flight attendant code stated that their mission was to ensure passenger comfort during the flight. And they implemented it with honor - on the flights of Domodedovo Airlines, there was always benevolence, care and affability.
End of story
The crisis of 2008 hit AiRUnion painfully, by August of this year, the total debt of the alliance airlines amounted to $ 1 billion. This was reflected in the company's economic crisis and a sharp increase in fuel prices. Since July, salary delays for employees began. On August 20, 2008, massive delays and cancellations of airline flights began; the company filed a bankruptcy lawsuit. In February 2009, the license to fly the airline was canceled. The last director of the company was Sergey Yanova.
In February 2009, this OJSC ceased to operate. The airline "Domodedovo Airlines" has ceased to exist. She could not live to see her half-century anniversary all year.