Database of the Russian Airlines that Flew to the Occupied Crimea in December 2017

Olha KORBUT
Expert of the monitoring group of the Black Sea Institute of Strategic Studies, BSNews and Maidan of Foreign Affairs

Translated by Tetyana PUCHKOVA

The monitoring group of the Black Sea Institute of Strategic Studies, BSNews and Maidan of Foreign Affairs has summed up the results of monitoring Russian airlines’ illegal flights to the occupied Crimea in December 2017.


VP-BBT, Airbus A319-112, Rossiya Airlines. Photo: Michael Pavlotski, planespotters.net

In December of this year, 1512 flights went to and from the airport of Simferopol. Last year the number was 1550. The largest number of December flights to and from the occupied Crimea took place in 2014, amounting to 2028, while 2015 saw the total 1800 to and from Simferopol.

Passenger trafic to the occupied peninsula was carried out exclusively by the Russian airlines, namely: ​Aeroflot,​ Ural Airlines,​ Rossiya,​ Globus,​ Yamal, UVT, Red Wings, Nordwind Airlines​ and NordAvia. ​

The comparative chart below shows changes in the frequency of air travel during the occupation. Unsurprisingly, the peak number of flights fell on 2015. Moscow and St.Petersburg remain the most popular destinations, while there is also one daily flight to Sochi and Rostov and several flights a week to Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk and Tyumen.

​In the last days of 2017, Russian air carriers supplied the Simferopol airport trafic with additional flights for the holiday period.

The Dynamics of the Passenger Flights to and from
the Simferopol Airport in December 2014-2017

​In late December, ​the peninsula's occupation authorities announced the new terminal of Simferopol airport had been erected. The inside and outside construction work and the area landscaping will continue in 2018, the year when the terminal is supposed to start operation. Once functional, the terminal would be able to serve 6.5 million passengers/year, while at present, the airport serves only 5 million.


New terminal of Simferopol Airport on December 18, 2017. Photo: Simferopol Airport official account on Facebook

​In December 2017, nine Russian air carriers flew to the occupied Crimea's airport. For flights to Simferopol, Globus Airlines, a subsidiary of the S7 ​Airlines, uses the S7 Group* aircrafts.

Aeroflot

ІАТА SU
ІCАО AFL
Callsign: AEROFLOT
Hub: Sheremetyevo Airport (Moscow)
Headquarters: Moscow, Russia
Subsidiaries: Donavia, Оrenburg Airlines, Dobrolyot, Аvrora, Pobeda; Rossiya [2]
Member of the SkyTeam

Destinations: US, EU, Canada, Mexico, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Asia, Baltics, UK, Middle East, the CIS countries

Rossiya

ІАТА FV
ІCАО SDM
Callsign: Rossiya
Main hub: Pulkovo Airport (St.Petersburg)
Other hubs: Vnukovo (Moscow), Simferopol, Adler (Sochi)
Headquarters: St.Petersburg, Russia
A subsidiary of Aeroflot

Destinations: Netherlands, Spain, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Greece, Cyprus, UK, Italy, France, Czech Republic, Тurkey, Bulgaria, Egypt, Іzrael, the CIS countries

Ural Airlines

ІАТА U6
ІCАО SVR
Callsign: Sverdlovsk Air
Main hub: Koltsovo Airport (Yekaterinburg)
Other hubs: Domodedovo Airport (Moscow), Tolmachevo Airport (Novosibirsk)
Headquarters: Yekaterinburg

Destinations: Кazakhstan, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Spain, Kyrgyzstan, Bulgaria, UAE, Тajikistan, Armenia, Greece, Italy, Czech Republic, China, Finland, Іsrael, Georgia

Globus

ІАТА GH
ІCАО GLP
Callsign: Globus
Main hub: Domodedovo Airport (Moscow)
Other hubs: Tolmachevo Airport (Novosibirsk)
Headquarters:Ob
Subsidiary of the S7 Airlines holding

Destinations: Domestic

S7 Airlines*

Globus Airlines uses S7 Airlines' aircraft to operate flights to the occupied Crimea

ІАТА S7
ІCАО SBI
Callsign: SIBERIAN AIRLINES
Main hub: Domodedovo Airport (Moscow), Tolmachevo Airport (Novosibirsk)
Headquarters: Ob, Russia

Destinations: International

Red Wings

ІАТА WZ
ІКАО RWZ
Callsign: AIR RED
Hubs: Vnukovo Airport (Moscow), Domodedovo Airport (Moscow), Simferopol Airport
Headquarters: Moscow

Destinations: Austria, Montenegro, Finland, Balkan, Egypt and Mediterranean countries

NordAvia

IATA 5N
IKAO AUL
Callsign: ARKHANGELSK AIR
Main hub: Talagi Airport (Аrkhangelsk)
Other hubs: Syktyvkar, Murmansk, Domodedovo
Headquarters: Аrkhangelsk

Destinations: domestic

Nordwind Airlines

ІАТА N4
ІКАО NWS
Callsign: NORDLAND
Main hub: Sheremetyevo Airport (Moscow)
Headquarters: Moscow
A subsidiary of the Pegas Touristic Holding

Destinations: Charter flights to Jordan, Thailand, Cuba, Vietnam, Mexico, Tunisia, Dominical Republic, Israel

Yamal

IATA YC
IKAO LLM
Callsign: YAMAL
Hubs: Salekhard, Roshino (Tyumen), Domededovo (Moscow)
Headquarters: Salekhard

Destinations: Turkey, Armenia, Greece, Montenegro, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Sweden

UVT

ІАТА UW
ІКАО UVT
Callsign: UVT
Hubs: Kazan, Bugulma
Headquarters: Bugulma

Destinations: domestic

 

* * *

The Black Sea Institute of Strategic Studies, BSNews and Maidan of Foreign Affairs monitoring group also regularly monitors the subsequent movement of aircrafts that illegally fly to the occupied Crimea. We can confirm that a number of them also provide passenger traffic to the European countries that have condemned the Russian annexation of Crimea. The database of those aircrafts is being continuously updated and expanded. Previous monitoring results can be found in the Black Sea Institute of Strategic Studies, BSNews and the Maidan of Foreign Affairs monthly air traffic reviews.

The table below details the European flights by the Russian airlines that regularly fly to the Simferopol airport:

RA89024

SS 100-95B

SU2801

Aeroflot

SIP-AER
1:19PM
17.12.2017

Moscow-Riga(Latvia)
SU2118
Landed 12:12AM
21.12.2017
Moscow-Dresden(Germany)
SU2344
Landed 12:46PM
20.12.2017
Moscow-Oslo(Norway)
SU2534
Landed 9:39PM
17.12.2017

RA89027

SS100-95B

SU2801

Aeroflot

SIP-AER
1:55AM
24.11.2017

Moscow-Zagreb(Croatia)
SU2040
Landed 10:29AM
15.12.2017
Moscow-Riga(Latvia)
SU2100
Landed 2:41PM
14.12.2017
Moscow-Copenhagen(Denmark)
SU2496
Landed 12:24AM
6.12.2017

RA89046

SS100-95B

SU2801

Aeroflot

SIP-AER
10:28AM
26.10.2017

Moscow-Tallinn(Estonia)
SU2114
Landed 8:00PM
11.12.2017
Moscow-Budapest(Hungary)
SU2468
Landed 10:05PM
2.12.2017

VP-BBT

Airbus
A319-112

SU/FV6892

Rossiya

SIP-LED
1:46PM
25.11.2017

LED-Munich(Germany)
SU/FV6657
Landed 11:40AM
12.12.2017
LED-Berlin(Germany)
SU/FV6641
Landed 11:59AM
10.12.2017

VP-BCG

Boeing
737-8LJ

SU1625

Aeroflot

SIP-SVO
6:54PM
24.11.2017

Moscow-Barcelona(Spain)
SU2516
Landed 2:13PM
23.12.2017
Moscow-Rome(Italy)
SU2418
Landed 11:45AM
22.12.2017
Moscow-Oslo(Norway)
SU2534
Landed 9:41PM
20.12.2017
Moscow-Vienna(Austria)
SU2356
Landed 3:05PM
16.12.2017
Moscow-Copenhagen(Denmark)
SU2496
Landed 9:35PM
15.12.2017
Moscow-Lisbon(Portugal)
SU2606
Landed 11:56PM
14.12.2017
Moscow-Alicante(Spain)
SU2522
Landed 11:54AM
7.12.2017

VP-BUS

Boeing
737-8MC

SU6146

Rossiya

SIP-VKO
8:59PM
7.12.2017
 

-

VP-BWW

Airbus
A320-232

WZ308

Red Wings

SIP-DME
3:39PM
24.12.2017

-

VP-BLH

Airbus
A320-214

SU1637

Aeroflot

SIP-SVO
12:48PM
4.12.2017

Moscow-Stockholm(Sweden)
SU2387
Landed 4:55AM
27.12.2017
Moscow-Copenhagen(Denmark)
SU2658
Landed 12:05PM
23.12.2017
Moscow-Prague(Czech Republic)
SU2014
Landed 3:16PM
20.12.2017
Moscow-Tbilisi(Georgia)
SU1892
Landed 2:27AM
19.12.2017
Moscow-Hannover(Germany)
SU2342
Landed 1:02PM
17.12.2017
Moscow-Dusseldorf(Germany)
SU2536
Landed 9:57AM
12.12.2017
Moscow-Warsaw(Poland)
SU2002
Landed 7:07PM
7.12.2017

VP-BWY

Airbus
A320-232

WZ308

Red Wings

SIP-DME
3:28PM
2.12.2017

LED-Eilat(Israel)
WZ4773
Landed 7:19AM
10.12.2017

VP-BTO

Airbus
A320-214
 

SU1621

Aeroflot

SIP-SVO
2:00PM
16.12.2017

Moscow-Dusseldorf(Germany)
SU2154
Landed 3:29PM
20.12.2017
Berlin(Germany)-Moscow
SU2317
11:40PM
19.12.2017
Moscow-Stuttgart(Germany)
SU2336
Landed 10:42AM
19.12.2017

VP-BGH

Airbus
A321-232

N4524

Nordwind Airlines

SIP-SVO
7:45PM
26.12.2017

-

VQ-BPW

Airbus
A320-214

SU1621

Aeroflot

SIP-SVO
2:28PM
2.12.2017

Moscow-Berlin(Germany)
SU2684
Landed 9:00AM
27.12.2017
Moscow-Paris(Paris)
SU261
Landed 9:00PM
26.12.2017
Moscow-Hannover(Germany)
SU2342
Landed 1:13PM
21.12.2017
Moscow-Frankfurt(Germany)
SU2306
Landed 9:12AM
20.12.2017
Moscow-Helsinki(Finland)
SU2202
Landed 9:27AM
19.12.2017
Moscow-Stockholm(Sweden)
SU2210
Landed 11:30AM
18.12.2017
Moscow-Vilnius(Latvia)
SU2108
Landed 10:03PM
16.12.2017
Moscow-Istanbul(Turkey)
SU2132
Landed 3:55PM
12.12.2017
Moscow-Prague(Czech Republic)
SU2014
Landed 3:55PM
11.12.2017
Moscow-Tallinn(Estonia)
SU2106
Landed 10:02AM
11.12.2017
Moscow-Valencia(Spain)
SU2502
Landed 10:50AM
8.12.2017
Moscow-Athens(Greece)
SU2110
Landed 12.12PM
7.12.2017
Moscow-Budapest(Hungary)
SU2468
Landed 9:48PM
4.12.2017

VQ-BCZ

Airbus
A320-214

U62832

Ural Airlines

SIP-DME
3:05PM
5.12.2017

LED-Tel Aviv(Israel)
U6887 Landed 7:59PM
24.12.2017
Sochi-Yereval(Armenia)
U62761
Landed 12:12AM
23.12.2017
Barcelona(Spain)-Tenerife(Spain)
U6773 Landed 7:06PM
22.12.2017
LED-Tbilisi(Georgia)
U62801
Landed 10:49AM
21.12.2017
Moscow-Rimini(Italy)
U6741
Landed 12:16PM
16.12.2017
Yekaterinburg-Paris(France)
U6709 Landed 8:35AM
14.12.2017

VQ-BOZ

Airbus
A321-211

U62842

Ural Airlines

SIP-DME
9:24PM
4.12.2017

Moscow-Antalya(Turkey)
U63001
Landed 7:16AM
26.12.2017
Moscow-Yerevan(Armenia)
U62703
Landed 2:16PM
9.12.2017
Yekaterinburg-Prague(Czech Republic)
U6701 Landed 9:05AM
7.12.2017

VQ-BRR

Boeing
737-8LP

S7/GH262

S7 Airlines / Globus

SIP-DME
12:55PM
4.12.2017

Moscow-Verona(Italy)
S7697 Landed 1:46PM
26.12.2017
Moscow-Dusseldorf HAJ(Germany)
S7991 10.12.2017
Moscow-Tivat(Montenegro)
S7925 Landed 1:43PM
7.12.2017

VQ-BCN

Airbus
A320-214

SU1637

Aeroflot

SIP-SVO
12:22PM
9.12.2017

Moscow-Riga(Lithuania)
SU2682
Landed 10:39AM
24.12.2017
Moscow-Berlin(Germany)
SU2314
Landed 4:09PM
21.12.2017
Moscow-Milan(Italy)
SU2412
Landed 3:52PM
20.12.2017
Moscow-Frankfurt(Germany)
SU2304
Landed 9:12PM
Moscow-Tallinn(Estonia)
SU2106
Landed 9:55AM
18.12.2017
Moscow-Munich(Germany)
SU2328
Landed 4:02PM
17.12.2017
Moscow-Rome(Italy)
SU2408
Landed 4:38PM
13.12.2017
Moscow-Geneva(Switzerland)

VQ-BOE

Airbus
A321-211

N4134

Nordwind Airlines

SIP-SVO
7:32PM
5.12.2017

-

VQ-BVV

Boeing
737-8LJ

SU6148

Rossiya

SIP-VKO
8:43PM
15.12.2017

-

VP-BRD

Airbus
A321-232

N4124

Nordwind Airlines

SIP-SVO
12:18PM
26.12.2017

-

VQ-BIV

Airbus
A320-214

SU1631

Aeroflot

SIP-SVO
8:24PM
19.11.2017

Moscow-Berlin(Germany)
SU2314
Landed 4:25PM
26.12.2017
Moscow-Paris(France)
SU2458
Landed 4:31PM
22.12.2017
Moscow-Tallinn(Estonia)
SU2106
Landed 9:57AM
22.12.2017
Moscow-Munich(Germany)
SU2594
Landed 9:31PM
21.12.2017
Moscow-Barcelona(Spain)
SU2514
Landed 3:42PM
19.12.2017
Moscow-Bucharest(Romania)
SU2034 Landed 11:14AM
18.12.2017
Zurich(Switzerland)-Moscow
SU2393 10:50PM
12.12.2017
Moscow-Stockholm(Sweden)
SU2386
Landed 8:46PM
9.12.2017
Moscow-Lyon(France)
SU2374
Landed 12:02PM
4.12.2017

VP-BLP

Airbus
A320-214

SU1637

Aeroflot

SIP-SVO
11:47AM
1.12.2017

Moscow-Valencia(Spain)
SU2502
Landed 10:35AM
27.12.2017
Moscow-Dusseldorf(Germany)
SU2436
Landed 9:34PM
24.12.2017
Moscow-Stockholm(Sweden)
SU2210
Landed 11:48AM
22.12.2017
Moscow-Budapest(Hungary)
SU2468
Landed 9:50PM
19.12.2017
Moscow-Barcelona(Spain)
SU2638
Landed 10:07AM
18.12.2017
Moscow-Athens(Greece)
SU2110
Landed 12:11PM
15.12.2017
Moscow-Istanbul(Turkey)
SU2134
Landed 1:17AM
14.12.2017
Moscow-Copenhagen(Denmark)
SU2658
Landed 11:48AM
8.12.2017

Note:

In December 2014 the administration of the US President Barack Obama has adopted a number of decisions regarding the sanctions for any action in the occupied Crimea.

In April of the same year, in accordance with the ICAO Convention on International Civil Aviation, the Eurocontrol (the European Organization for the Safety of Air Navigation), banned the European airlines from flying to the Russia-occupied Crimea and Sevastopol. [1].

Ukraine officially accused [2] Russia of violation of the international multilateral and bilateral agreements and the provisions of the European Air Navigation Plan, as well as in ignoring the established borders of the Flight Information Regions (FIR) [3].

The Air Navigation Services in the sky over the Crimean Peninsula belong to the jurisdiction to Ukraine that due to the Russian annexation of the Crimean AR had to move the dispatch center from Simferopol to Kyiv and Odessa.

However, due to the inability of the State Avia Service to guarantee security of the Ukraine flights over the occupied territories, in March 2014, it was decided to close the airports in Simferopol and Belbek and the lower airspace and to restrict traffic in Simferopol flight information region.

At the same time, Ukraine continues to service the Black Sea FIR within its competence.

In April 2014, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) called Russia's actions to seize control of the airspace above Crimea and the Black Sea waters that belong to the Ukrainian FIR, illegal [4].

[1] The ban of the flights to the occupied Crimea for European airlines: http://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/198796.html

[2] Announcement of the SE "UkrAeroRukh" of the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine: http://uksatse.ua/index.php?act=Part&CODE=247&id=264

[3] The FIR (Flight Information Region) is a specified region of airspace in which a flight information service and an alerting service are provided

[4] The publication in the online edition of the Tyzhden magazine from 16.04.2014 http://tyzhden.ua/News/107719

For two and a half years, the BSNews and Maidan of Foreign Affairs monitoring group conducts daily monitoring of the illegal flights to the occupied Crimea followed by the media publications of the results of the investigation on the airlines-offenders.

* * *

For the last two and a half years, the Black Sea Institute of Strategic Studies, BSNews and Maidan of Foreign Affairs monitoring group has been conducting daily monitoring of the illegal flights to the occupied Crimea with further publications in the media on the airlines offenders.

* * *

The monitoring of the violations of the international sanctions against Russia and the legal regime of the temporarily occupied territory of Crimea is supported by the European Program Initiative of the Renaissance International Foundation. The position of Renaissance International Foundation may not reflect the opinion of the authors.