OREANDA-NEWS. September 07, 2009. A regular meeting of Vladivostok Air with heads of the largest tour operators and air ticket agencies of Khabarovsky krai has taken place in Khabarovsk. In the course of constructive dialogue parties have exchanged opinions about situation at the market of air services and tourism in Khabarovsky krai and have presented concrete workings and suggestions to each other. Members of the airline have introduced to attendees the outcomes of assumed measures according to the results of the similar meeting which passed one month ago and have presented Vladivostok Air’s plans for the autumn-winter period.

After the meeting it was organized a press conference for the journalists of regional and federal mass-media. Passing to some details of the work results, it should be noted at once, that in the conditions of current negative tendency in the branch of world and Russian air transportations our airline could break an existed negative trend and to keep growth dynamics of industrial and economic indicators.

Thus, within the limits of summer schedule realization, Vladivostok Air has considerably increased quantity of executed flights on already existing routes and has opened new flights, as across Russia so abroad.

Airline continues fleet renewal program. Today we operate modern aircraft fleet: Tu-204-300, Airbus A320, Airbus A330. In general, aircrafts Tu-154 are used for reserve providing.During autumn 2009 — spring 2010 the company is planning to buy four aircrafts Airbus: A330 and A320 by two of each type. In the process of recent exhibition MAKS 2009 the airline signed precontractual agreement about purchasing of 6 short haul aircrafts An-148.

At the beginning of the year the airline has introduced new automatic control system by means of flights profitableness. Using this system, we managed to balance interests of airline and customers, achieving increase in armchairs reservation and profitableness of the flights performance. Passengers got an opportunity to choose various tariffs depending on the time of a planned travel.

All these and other measures have allowed us to reach positive results. So, a passenger turnover of Vladivostok Air has increased by 40 % and has made 2 milliard 64 million 349 thousand passenger-kilometers for 7 months of 2009, in comparison with the similar period of the last year.

The factor of armchairs reservation has grown on 11,4 points up to 76,9 %, thus the quantity of the transported passengers has increased by 29,6 %.

At the 4th quarter we are planning to accept millionth passenger for transportation.

For seven months of this year sales proceeds of services have made 5 milliard 343 million 212 thousand roubles. For the specified period net profit of Vladivostok Air OJSC is 204 million 467 thousand roubles. At the end of 8th month experts of the company predict increase of this indicator.

Special attention in development and performance of a summer route network has been given to Khabarovsk. Actually, for today Vladivostok Air carries out equal quantity of flights in a week, both from/to Khabarovsk and from/to Vladivostok.

It is necessary to remind that in September 2008 we have accepted air tickets of passengers on Dalavia flights to own transportation without their renewal and has started regular performance of the flights from Khabarovsk. Operative measures have allowed to lower intensity level in the region and to settle the arisen transport collapse.

It should be noticed that at the same time the company has sustained irreplaceable financial losses since today Dalavia OJSC has had an unpaid debt to the company at a rate of 196 million roubles.

In September 2008 airline having operatively corrected schedule, opened 7 new flights from Khabarovsk (3 Russian and 4 international): to Seoul, Niigata, Harbin, Beijing, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Juzhno-Sahalinsk and Irkutsk. In December it was added Vladivostok Air flight on a route Vladivostok — Khabarovsk — Krasnoyarsk.

In March 2009 Vladivostok Air was the first Russian airline, which has opened sale of tickets under the special (subsidized) tariff of economy class for flights from Far-Eastern regions to European part of Russia, also from Khabarovsk to Moscow and St. Petersburg. And in a month the company has successfully made the first flight on a route Khabarovsk — Anadyr.

In the beginning of the summer the airline, within the limits of the concluded agreement with Asiana, has renewed flight operation to Vladivostok — Seoul — Bangkok and has opened new flight from Khabarovsk to Bangkok through Seoul. Also it is opened the new flights on routes:
— Khabarovsk — Novosibirsk — Sochi;
— Khabarovsk — Moscow;
— Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk — Khabarovsk — Krasnoyarsk — Krasnodar;
— Vladivostok — Khabarovsk — Krasnoyarsk — Rostov-on-Don.

Using of the first class aircrafts on the new routes from Khabarovsk, such as Tu-204-300 and Airbus A320, considerably improved flight and service conditions in the air.

The dynamics of increase of air transportations in volumes from Khabarovsk speaks for itself. From October 2008 till July 2009 the company has opened and successfully operates 20 lines (5 international and 15 Russian) from Khabarovsk.

International lines: to Beijing, Niigata, Seoul, Harbin and Bangkok through Seoul.

Domestic lines: to Anadyr, Vladivostok, Moscow, Ekaterinburg, Irkutsk, Krasnodar, Krasnoyarsk, Magadan, the P.-Kamchatsky, St.Petersburg, Rostov-on-Don, Sochi, Novosibirsk, Ju.-Sahalinsk, Yakutsk.

Only since October till July 2008-2009 airline could increase quantity of the transported passengers by 50 % on this market.

Considering Vladivostok Air’s results at the Khabarovsk market and features of our tariff policy it is possible to notice that the company managed to keep reasonable balance between satisfaction of demand for passengers, tour operators of the region and own economic interests. Thus, the airline tariff policy has been focused on avoidance of sharp turnabout of prices for air transportation.

Without stopping at the top, since September 16th Vladivostok Air will offer to Far-Eastern inhabitants a new flight to Hong Kong (through Seoul) from Khabarovsk and Vladivostok.

From the winter schedule the airline is planning to increase quantity of the flights Khabarovsk — Moscow by plane A330 up to five times a week, and in summer of 2010 the flight will be carried out daily.This flight in Khabarovsk is conveniently joined to flights from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and in Moscow it is joined with the flights to Sochi.

The company is going to increase the flights to Beijing up to three times a week. Also, it is developed a number of perspective directions, such as: Tokyo (Narita), Samara, Baku, Yerevan, Tashkent. Some of them will have already begun the work during the season of the winter schedule 2009-2010.

Efforts made in this direction by Vladivostok Air would make an opportunity for Far-Eastern inhabitants, using Khabarovsk as transfer airport, to take off in the European part of Russia or in the countries of Asian-Pacific region quickly and comfortably. In the future the company is planning to build full-featured air transportation center and to organize more extensive route network.