There is an opinion that for charter flights they serve dilapidated, obsolete, but large aircraft. Is it so? Let’s try to consider the problem using the example of Katekavia Airlines. Aircraft fleet, year of manufacture, service at the airport and on board, conditions in the cabin - all this will be the topic of our article.
What is Katekavia and what is the name of the carrier now
At the moment, the airline has a more consonant name - Azur Air. So it began to be called since December 2014. But do not consider Azur Air as a new carrier that has not been tested by time. Previously, flights were carried out by Katekavia, whose fleet was small and far from new. But this company carried out short flights. Basically, they covered only the Volga and Siberian federal districts.
Katekavia was based in the capital's Domodedovo airport. In 2012, the large UTair airline bought a quarter of all shares in a small regional company. After 12 months, 75 percent of the total authorized capital was already concentrated in her hands. In 2014, the former Katekavia became known as Azur Air and was represented by its subsidiary carrier UTair. But a year later the company became independent. In February 2016, she passed the tests of the Federal Air Transport Agency and was allowed to perform international scheduled flights.
Katekavia Airlines: aircraft fleet
Of course, all these ups and downs with the purchase and sale of shares, renaming a legal entity and obtaining a license should not worry the average passenger. He is interested in other things. For example, which fleet does the company have? How dilapidated is her aircraft? What are the amenities on board? And, of course, are flights of this company often delayed? What about the incidents? Have there been any accidents in the history of Katekavia? The fleet of the company with the same name, after re-registering it as Azur Air, was completely transferred to Turukhan. In the memory of "Katekavia" there were accidents and forced landings due to malfunctioning machines. But since Azur Air completed its first flight in December 2014 from Moscow to Sharm El Sheikh (Egypt), nothing of the kind has been repeated. This flight was carried out on the first Boeing of the company, brand 757-200.
Flight destinations
In less than three years, Azur Air has grown from a small regional company into a major carrier. If in 2011 Katekavia, whose fleet was small, served only one hundred and fifteen and a half thousand passengers, then in 2015 their number amounted to more than two million. Previously, the company had one basic hub - Domodedovo. Now Azur Air has several native airports: Emelyanovo (Krasnoyarsk), Pulkovo (St. Petersburg), Khrabrovo (Kaliningrad) and Rostov-on-Don.
The flight map of the company has expanded significantly. Azur Air takes passengers to Morocco (Agadir), Thailand (Bangkok and Phuket), Spain (to Barcelona, Mallorca and Tenerife), Bulgaria (Burgas and Varna), Tunisia (Djerba and Enfida), Greece (Heraklion and Rhodes), Vietnam (Nha Trang), Cyprus (Larnaca), Dominican Republic (Punta Cana), Cuba (Varadero) and China (Sanya). In addition, the airline flies from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Chelyabinsk and Kazan to Sochi.
Anex Tour and its role in the development of the airline
In the direction of flights it can be seen that Azur Air specializes in transporting passengers to world famous resorts. Many airlines provide their aircraft to tour operators for charter flights. Entering the large Turkish holding company Anex Tourism Group allowed updating the Azur Air (formerly Katekavia) aircraft fleet. Charters have one feature. They must be spacious in order to carry as many passengers as possible and thereby reduce the cost of the flight. On the other hand, they should be as comfortable as possible. After all, people go on vacation and want the vacation to begin already by landing on the liner. Therefore, the airline "Azur Air" ensures that its air fleet meets the requirements of the tour operator "Anex Tour". Thus, the tourist specialization of the company most directly affected the quality of the liners. They are not only roomy, but also comfortable, as well as relatively new.
Brands of aircraft and their age
You will not meet the old An-24 and Tu-134, which were in the Katekavia hangars. The fleet of aircraft, whose average age is now (according to April 2017) is nineteen and a half years, has changed beyond recognition. The transformation of Katekavia into Azur Air was the incident that occurred in November 2014. Then the old Tu-134 froze to the runway at the Igarka airport. And the passengers were forced to push him in order to budge. The captured video has long been the subject of jokes on the entire Russian air fleet from ill-wishers. Therefore, the air fleet is the "big corn" of the Azur Air management. It takes care that all aircraft are of high quality and comfortable for passengers. Boeing, starting with the airline’s first flight to Sharm El Sheikh, has become a favorite brand.
Characteristics of Katekavia liners
The aircraft fleet has nineteen aircraft. All of them, as already mentioned, belong to the Boeing family. If we talk about types, then Azur Air (formerly Katekavia) prefers brands 767-300 R. The airline has eight of them. These are huge liners accommodating up to 336 people. There are also eight Boeings 757-200 in the airline fleet. They are smaller - 238 seats - but they are also comfortable and reliable.
Recently, the airline acquired three Boeings 737-800. They are even smaller. Their capacity is 189 people. The color of the Azur Air aircraft is discreet, but memorable. The white liner has a blue tail with a red ribbon. The oldest aircraft in the park is only twenty-six years old. This is a Boeing 767-300 with tail number VP-BUX. And the youngest airliner - the Boeing 757-200 (tail number VQ-BEY) - is only fourteen years old.
Traveler reviews on Azur Air liners
Tourist (charter) specialization of the airline put it in one of the leading in Russia. During the year, the company serves more than two million passengers. Therefore, many tourists leave feedback about the amenities that Katekavia Airlines provides on board their ships. The fleet of modern Azur Air aircraft consists of comfortable Boeing family aircraft. Mark 767-300 is used for medium and long range flights. Despite the fact that three hundred passengers fit into the cabin when fully loaded, there is no feeling of crowding. The passage between the seats and the distance between the rows of seats are sufficient to make every traveler feel comfortable during the flight. Boeings have good sound insulation, so the roar of engines is almost inaudible. Salon liners has compartments for traveling business and comfort classes. A few words about safety should be said. According to the German audit company Jacdec, Azur Air is on the list of the best airlines for this parameter.