OREANDA-NEWS. SkyTeam, the global airline alliance of which Aeroflot is a member, was named Airline Alliance of the Year in the 2015 Air Transport News awards at a ceremony in Geneva on Monday.

SkyTeam was founded in 2000 by Aeromexico, Air France, Delta Airlines and Korean Air. Aeroflot became a member in 2006, becoming the first Russian carrier to join a global alliance. Today SkyTeam numbers 20 members, flying to a total of 1,052 destinations in 177 countries.

The key advantages of SkyTeam, celebrating its 15th anniversary this year, are a global route network served by national leaders based at major global hubs. This benefits passengers travelling to any point on the planet by giving them a convenient schedule with a system of connections and frequent flights.

Aeroflot makes active use of its partnerships within the SkyTeam alliance, which is continuing to enhance the passenger experience by adding new features. For example, SkyPriority offers premium members of participating airlines’ bonus schemes priority ground services to speed them through pre-flight procedures. Currently under development is the SkyTransfer programme to allow seamless passenger registration across the alliance’s information systems. SkyTeam is also considering allowing passengers to use bonus miles gained on any SkyTeam airline for flights operated by any of the alliance’s members.

Aeroflot is Russia’s flagship carrier and one of the largest airline groups in Europe. In 2013, its 90th anniversary year, Aeroflot carried 20.9 million passengers (31.4 million passengers as Aeroflot Group including subsidiaries), a record for any Russian airline. A proud member of the SkyTeam global airline alliance, Aeroflot and its partners serve more than 1,000 destinations in 177 countries worldwide. Aeroflot operates the youngest fleet in the World (among the major airlines), numbering 153 Airbus, Boeing and Sukhoi airliners. Aeroflot is among the global leaders in aviation safety. The company’s European Community Safety Assessment of Foreign Aircraft (SAFA) Index, which is the main globally recognized safety parameter, is comparable to global peers. The first Russian carrier to enter the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) register, renewing its registration for the fifth time in 2013, Aeroflot has successfully passed the IATA Safety Audit for Ground Operations (ISAGO) and is fully ISO 9001:2008, ISO 14001:2004 compliant. In 2014 Aeroflot was named by SKYTRAX as the Best Airline in Eastern Europe for the third time.