S7 Airlines facts for kids
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| Founded | May 1957 (as Tolmachevsky squadron) |
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| Commenced operations | May 1992 (as Siberia Airlines) |
| Hubs |
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| Focus cities |
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| Frequent-flyer program | S7 Priority |
| Alliance | Oneworld (suspended) |
| Subsidiaries | S7 Training |
| Fleet size | 101 |
| Destinations | 77 |
| Parent company | S7 AirSpace Corporation |
| Headquarters | Ob, Novosibirsk Oblast, Russia |
| Key people | Vadim Klebanov (General Director) |
| Employees | 3,000 |
| Website | s7.ru |
S7 Airlines, also known as JSC Siberia Airlines, is a big airline in Russia. Its main offices are in Ob, near Novosibirsk. It also has offices in Moscow. For many years, S7 Airlines has been one of Russia's largest airlines for flights within the country. Its main bases are at Domodedovo International Airport in Moscow and Tolmachevo Airport in Novosibirsk. S7 Airlines is part of the Oneworld group of airlines, but its membership is currently paused.
Contents
History of S7 Airlines
How S7 Airlines Started
S7 Airlines began a long time ago, in 1957. Back then, it was called "the Tolmachevo united squadron." It was part of the Soviet Union's main civil aviation group.
After the Soviet Union ended, Russia made many economic changes in the 1990s. In 1992, a state-run airline called Siberia Airlines was created from the squadron. It became a private company in 1994. In the same year, Siberia Airlines got its special IATA airline code, which is like an airline's official ID.
In 1997, Siberia Airlines tried to buy another airline called Vnukovo Airlines. The idea was to make Moscow a major hub for Siberia Airlines. However, this plan did not happen. Later, in 1999, Siberia Airlines offered to take over Vnukovo Airlines if it stopped flying due to money problems.
Growing and Changing
Siberia Airlines started to join with Vnukovo Airlines in 2001. In the same year, it also took over Baikal Airlines. Later, in 2004, it added Chelyabinsk Airlines and Enkor to its operations.
The airline bought its first planes that were not made in Russia in 2004. These were Airbus A310 aircraft. In 2005, Siberia Airlines changed its name to S7 Airlines.
In 2006, S7 Airlines became the second Russian airline to pass a big safety check called the IATA Operational Safety Audit. This is an important test for airline safety around the world.
In 2007, S7 Airlines started a new part of its business called Globus. This new group focused on flights for tourists going on holidays. Over time, Globus Airlines got its own planes, mainly Boeing 737-800s.
Recent Events
S7 Airlines joined the Oneworld airline alliance in 2010. This alliance is a group of airlines that work together to offer more flights and benefits to passengers.
In 2016, a famous American band called OK Go worked with S7 Airlines. They filmed a music video for their song "Upside Down & Inside Out" on a special plane that creates a feeling of zero gravity.
In 2018, the company that owns S7 Airlines changed its name to S7 AirSpace Corporation. This new name showed that the company was now involved in more than just aviation, including space projects.
In August 2019, S7 Airlines announced that it would combine with Globus Airlines. By December 2019, Globus Airlines had stopped its own flights and fully merged with S7 Airlines.
In February 2022, S7 Airlines and other Russian airlines faced new rules. They were not allowed to fly in the airspace of the European Union and some other countries. Because of this, S7 Airlines stopped all its flights to Europe on February 25, 2022. By March 5, 2022, it had stopped all its international flights. In April 2022, S7 was also paused from the Oneworld alliance.
Later in 2022, S7 Airlines returned two of its Boeing 737 MAX planes to the company that leased them. In December 2023, S7 Airlines made a deal to buy 45 planes with help from a special fund.
Where S7 Airlines Flies
As of November 2023, S7 Airlines flies to 10 different countries. It has 134 different flight paths, or routes.
Working with Other Airlines
S7 Airlines works with other airlines to make travel easier for passengers. This is called a codeshare agreement or interline agreement. It means you can sometimes book a flight with S7, but part of your journey might be on another airline's plane.
S7 has codeshare agreements with:
S7 has interline agreements with:
- Azerbaijan Airlines
- Bangkok Airways
- Belavia
- China Southern Airlines
- El Al
- Emirates
- flydubai
- Gulf Air
- Turkish Airlines
S7 Airlines Planes (Fleet)
An airline's "fleet" is all the planes it owns and uses.
What Planes S7 Airlines Uses Now
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As of February 2024, the S7 Airlines fleet has 101 aircraft. Here are the types of planes they use:
| Aircraft | In service |
Orders | Passengers | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B | E | Total | ||||
| Airbus A319-100 | 2 | — | — | 144 | 144 | These planes will be retired soon. |
| Airbus A320-200 | 16 | — | — | 174 | 174 | One plane has a special old-style and new-style paint design. |
| Airbus A320neo | 31 | — | 8 | 156 | 164 | |
| Airbus A321-200 | 8 | — | 8 | 189 | 197 | |
| 190 | 198 | |||||
| Airbus A321neo | 8 | — | 8 | 195 | 203 | |
| Boeing 737-800 | 17 | — | 8 | 168 | 176 | One plane has the Oneworld alliance paint design. |
| Embraer 170 | 17 | — | — | 78 | 78 | |
| S7 Airlines Cargo fleet | ||||||
| Boeing 737-800BCF | 2 | — | Cargo | These planes carry goods, not passengers. | ||
| Total | 101 | — | ||||
How the Fleet Changed Over Time
In 2008, S7 Airlines stopped using all planes that were made in the Soviet Union. They switched to using more modern aircraft.
In October 2018, S7 Airlines received its first Boeing 737 MAX 8 plane. They were the first airline in Russia to use this type of aircraft. However, these planes were returned to their lessor in September 2022.
Planes S7 Airlines Used Before
Over the years, S7 Airlines has used many different types of planes. Here are some of the aircraft that are no longer part of their fleet:
| Aircraft | Introduced | Retired | Replacement | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A310-200 | 2004 | 2010 | Airbus A320 family Boeing 737-800 |
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| Airbus A310-300 | 2004 | 2014 | One plane was involved in an accident as Flight 778. | |
| Antonov An-24 | 1992 | 2000 | Boeing 737 Classic | |
| Boeing 737-400 | 2006 | 2008 | Boeing 737-800 | Some were moved to their subsidiary airline, Globus Airlines. |
| Boeing 737-500 | 2005 | 2009 | ||
| Boeing 737 MAX 8 | 2018 | 2022 | None | Only two were delivered out of 11 ordered. |
| Boeing 767-300ER | 2008 | 2017 | Airbus A321neo | |
| Tupolev Tu-154B-2 | 1992 | 2004 | Boeing 737-500 | One plane was involved in an accident as Flight 1047. |
| Tupolev Tu-154M | 1992 | 2009 | Airbus A320 family Boeing 737-800 |
One plane was involved in an accident as Flight 1812. |
| Tupolev Tu-204-100 | 1992 | 2006 | Airbus A310 Airbus A319 |
Important Events and Safety
Airlines sometimes experience difficult situations or accidents. Here are some notable events involving S7 Airlines:
- On October 4, 2001, Siberia Airlines Flight 1812, a Tupolev Tu-154M, crashed into the Black Sea. All 78 people on board died.
- On August 24, 2004, Siberia Airlines Flight 1047, a Tupolev Tu-154B2, crashed near Rostov-on-Don, Russia. All 46 people on board died.
- On July 9, 2006, S7 Airlines Flight 778, an Airbus A310, had a landing accident at Irkutsk International Airport. The plane went off the runway, and 125 people died.
- On December 2, 2021, S7 Airlines Flight 5220, an Airbus A321-271N, made an emergency landing at Irkutsk International Airport. This happened because of severe icing which made the plane hard to control. The flight had strong up-and-down movements for 7 minutes. After the pilots got control back, the plane landed safely, and all 209 people on board were unharmed.
Other Parts of S7
S7 Technics is a company that belongs to S7. It is located at Tolmachevo Airport. This company helps maintain and repair aircraft.
See also
In Spanish: S7 Airlines para niños
- Babyflot
- List of airlines of Russia
- Transport in Russia
