OREANDA-NEWS. PJSC Aeroflot (Moscow Exchange ticker: AFLT) is pleased to have been named Europe’s fourth fastest growing airline by increase in passenger traffic in 1H 2015 by the authoritative publication Airline Business.

Aeroflot — Russian Airlines recorded RPK growth of 9.6% year-on-year in 1H 2015, faster than the global average of 5.9% and significantly ahead of peers including Lufthansa, Air France-KLM, British Airways and Swiss.

"Independent international research has once again confirmed that Aeroflot is a truly global company with genuine leadership potential," Aeroflot CEO Vitaly Saveliev said. "Despite a challenging economic context we have continued to deliver outstanding results, as well as our ability to respond to the biggest challenges we face."

The Russian flag carrier’s continued focus on operational efficiency has delivered dynamic growth of passenger traffic as measured by RPKs — a key operational indicator for the airline industry — despite an overall decline in the Russian aviation market and economic headwinds.

Aeroflot remains on track to deliver ahead of schedule on the ambitious goals set out in its Strategy 2025 to rank among Europe’s top five and the global top 20 airlines by RPKs and revenue. In July, Airline Business’s World Airline Rankings placed Aeroflot fifth in Europe by revenue, while Air Transport World ranked Russia’s national carrier in the global top 20 by RPKs for the first five months of 2015.

About Aeroflot 

Aeroflot is Russia’s flagship carrier and one of the largest airline groups in Europe. In 2014, Aeroflot carried 23.6 million passengers (34.7 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 1,057 destinations in 179 countries worldwide. Aeroflot operates one of the youngest fleets in the world, numbering 163 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 sixth time in 2015, Aeroflot has successfully passed the IATA Safety Audit for Ground Operations (ISAGO) and is fully ISO 9001:2008, ISO 14001:2004 compliant. In 2015 Aeroflot was named by SKYTRAX as the Best Airline in Eastern Europe for the fourth time.