Economic crisis creates turbulence for Transaero

Transaero introduced flights from Moscow to Murmansk last fall. In Barents Russia, the airliner also had flights to Naryan-Mar and Arkhangelsk from its Mosocw-hub at Domodedovo airport.

This week, both Alfa bank and Sberbank filed bankruptcy claims to the arbitration court in St. Petersburg, reports. 

The portal of Transaero is now daily posting a list of cancelled flights. 

On Wednesday, a interdepartmental Commission under the Ministry of Transport granted Aeroflot a temporary permission to take over 56 of Transaero’s international routes, TASS reports.

Domestic routes can be taken over by other carriers with any restrictions.

Established in 1993, Transaero was the first Russian airliner to operate western-made aircrafts. The company was also supposed to be the first in Russia to receive Airbus A380, the world’s largest passenger aircraft. 

Russia’s difficult financial situation and the ruble’s devaluation have hit the travel market hard. Rising cost for aircraft leasing obligations, due to the collapse of the ruble is another reasons for Transaero’s crisis. The majority of the civil aviation fleet in today’s Russia is either Boeing or Airbus aircrafts.

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In September, Russia’s flag carrier Aeroflot said it would acquire 75 percent of Transaero for one single ruble. The offer is now dropped, according to Interfax.

Transaero has a fleet of 97 aircrafts.