Since the launch of its flight services from Vnukovo International Airport, AZUR air has served 6 million passengers. The 6 millionth passenger took flight ZF-3703 to Phuket (Thailand) on February 2, and was awarded with a range prizes: a travel kit from the airport, a free flight certificate from the airline, free access to the VIP lounge, a hotel room certificate courtesy of the Double Tree by Hilton Moscow Vnukovo Airport, and souvenirs from UTG service company. In addition to this, Vnukovo Airport staff welcomed all passengers off the flight with sweet treats.
Anton Kuznetsov, Deputy CEO of Sales at Vnukovo International Airport, said: «AZUR air is a reliable business partner of Vnukovo International Airport and a significant contributor to our business. We are happy to congratulate our colleagues on this new achievement. 6 million passengers is an excellent result, and an important milestone in our cooperation.»
Evgeny Korolev, CEO of AZUR air, also added: «It is remarkable that our milestone passenger is flying to Thailand. In February and March, AZUR air will be operating more than 50 flights a month from Vnukovo to Pattaya and Phuket, so these are very popular destinations. In the next winter season, we expect to offer more flights from Vnukovo, not only to Thailand, but also to other countries in the region.
AZUR air launched flights from Vnukovo on October 1, 2018. Since then, the carrier’s aircraft have made more than 20,000 takeoffs and landings at the airport. Between 2019 and 2022, AZUR air carried 23% of Vnukovo’s international airlines passengers.
By the end of 2022, AZUR air and Vnukovo airport had served 1,126,631 passengers and operated 4,251 flights — more than 90% of them international.
During the winter season of 2022-2023, AZUR air operates flights from Vnukovo to seven countries: Thailand, the Maldives, Turkey, Egypt, Sri Lanka, India and the United Arab Emirates.
In 2021, the cooperation between AZUR air and Vnukovo reached a new level: the airline launched a unique product for the Russian market — Black Jet flights with an entirely business-class cabin. Vnukovo International Airport provides Black Jet passengers with everything they need for a comfortable flight.
In less than five years, AZUR air created an extensive operation infrastructure at Vnukovo: the airline has branded check-in counters in Terminal A, its own office, and an individual briefing space for its crew. Scheduled maintenance of all aircraft is performed in the airline’s maintenance shop at the airport.
An important landmark of our cooperation was the airline’s innovative training and simulation center opened in November 2022, which is equipped with a full-flight Boeing 757/767 simulator, the first and only in Russia.
Vnukovo International Airport is one of Russia’s largest air transport hubs. Each year the airport handles approximately 200 000 flights by Russian and international airlines. Its network covers the whole territory of Russia as well as short- and long-haul destinations, Europe, the Americas, Asia and Africa. In 2019, Vnukovo International Airport served over 24 million passengers, breaking its own record. Vnukovo airport terminal, with a total area of about 300,000 square meters, can handle up to 35 million passengers annually. Vnukovo International Airport is the only airport in Russia to have received a Letter of Commendation from the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin for its professional achievements and high performance. Moreover, Vnukovo Airport was recognized as the Best International Airport by Air Gateway of Russia award and Best Airport: overcoming challenges 2020 at National Aviation Infrastructure Show (NAIS) for three years running.
AZUR air is a fast-growing Russian carrier, recognized as the leading charter airline in Europe in 2020 and 2021, and the leading charter airline in the world in 2020 by World Travel Awards. AZUR air’s first flight took off in December 2014. The company operates international and domestic flights for several major Russian tour operators. AZUR air received the Wings of Russia National Aviation Award as the best airline in Charter traffic and International traffic in 2016 and 2017. The company is one of the 500 largest Russian businesses according to RBC’s 2020 ranking.
