OREANDA-NEWS. On 24 March 2008 Transaero was named ‘Airline of the Year’ in the international passenger carrier category for its international passenger volume of over 1 billion passenger kilometers

Transaero Airlines won gold at the annual Wings of Russia Awards 2007 as it plucked off the much coveted title Airline of the Year in the international passenger carrier category for international passenger volume – over 1 bln pkm. The official awards ceremony took place yesterday, March 24, in Moscow.

This prestigious award recognizes Transaero’s achievements on international routes. Today it is the second-largest international airline in Russia. In 2007 the airline became the most rapidly developing Russian airline in absolute figures - its passenger kilometers reached 11.76 billion, a 50.9% increase from 2006, and passenger volume grew to 3.24 million, 51.7% more than in 2006. International network development contributed to reaching such outstanding results. In 2007 alone, Transaero significantly expanded its international flight schedule network by opening 12 new regularly scheduled routes, including 5 new long-haul flights. Today more than 85% of all Transaero’s flights are operated on international routes.

“We’ve been working non stop on improving the quality of our service in the air and on the ground and on diversifying our international route network. I’m very happy that our efforts have been recognized by the leading experts in Russian aviation industry. This award symbolizes a victory for both Transaero Airlines and our passengers,” said Transaero Airlines General Director Olga Pleshakova. “We’ll continue delivering our top ranking international services to our customers.”

The Wings of Russia Award is the national airline awards ceremony launched in 1997. Today it is accepted as Russia’s only program recognizing excellence in commercial air transport. This year 29 Russian carriers competed in 10 categories including domestic and international passenger transport, air cargo, business aviation and passenger’s choice. The Wings of Russia Public Council includes over 120 industry experts, representatives of Russian aviation authorities and associations, affiliated business and financial organizations and media personnel.