OREANDA-NEWS. Aeroflot has been named as one of the world’s 20 largest airlines in terms of passenger capacity by OAG, a leading global provider of digital flight information.

This represents a strategic breakthrough for Aeroflot, which is targeting a position among the global elite by improving its key indicators, including passenger traffic.

OAG’s rating prioritises actual capacity over total number of passengers carried, and is based on airlines’ available seats over the 12 months to February 2017.

The UK-based agency also noted Aeroflot’s “healthy growth” of 6% in capacity over the past year, and that the Russian flag carrier benefits from the youngest fleet of any airline in the top 20.

“Aeroflot’s key strategic goal, as stated in our 2011 Growth Strategy, is to be among the top five European and top 20 global airlines by 2025,” said Giorgio Callegari, Deputy General Director for Strategy and Alliances. “In 2011, many were sceptical about the prospects of a Russian airline joining the global elite. Now, though, it is a clear fact that Aeroflot is on track to achieve its core goals ahead of schedule.”

OAG is one of the most reliable sources of analysis on airlines’ operating performance, with an extensive database including information from more than 900 airlines and 4,000 airports.

About Aeroflot

Aeroflot is Russia’s flagship carrier and a proud member of the SkyTeam global airline alliance. Aeroflot and its partners serve 1,062 destinations in 177 countries worldwide. In 2016, Aeroflot carried 29 million passengers (43.4 million passengers as Aeroflot Group including subsidiaries).

In 2016, Aeroflot became the first Russian airline to be awarded Four Star Airline status by Skytrax in recognition of the high-quality of its customer service, and was also named Best Airline in Eastern Europe for the fifth time at the Skytrax World Airline Awards.

In 2017, Aeroflot was named the most powerful brand in Russia and the world’s strongest airline brand by leading valuation and strategy consultancy Brand Finance. Aeroflot was also named Best Major Airline in Europe by TripAdvisor travellers and  recognised as the Favourite International Airline in China at the Flyer Award Ceremony 2017.