S7 Airlines facts for kids
An A320neo of S7 Airlines
|
|
| Founded | May 1957 (as Tolmachevsky squadron) |
|---|---|
| Commenced operations | May 1992 (as Siberia Airlines) |
| Hubs |
|
| Focus cities |
|
| Frequent-flyer program | S7 Priority |
| Alliance | Oneworld (suspended) |
| Subsidiaries | S7 Cargo S7 Training |
| Fleet size | 104 |
| 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, which is officially named JSC Siberia Airlines, is a Russian airline. Its main offices are in the city of Ob in Novosibirsk Oblast, Russia, with other offices in Moscow. For a long time, it was Russia's biggest airline for flights within the country.
The airline's main airports, or hubs, are Domodedovo International Airport in Moscow and Tolmachevo Airport in Novosibirsk. S7 Airlines is part of the Oneworld alliance, a team of airlines that work together. However, its membership is currently on hold. Because of political events in 2022, S7 and other Russian airlines are not allowed to fly to the European Union and some other countries.
Contents
History of S7 Airlines
How It All Started
The airline that became S7 began in 1957 as a part of the Soviet Union's government-run aviation group. It was called the "Tolmachevo united squadron."
After the Soviet Union ended in the early 1990s, Russia's economy changed. The airline became a state-owned company called Siberia Airlines in 1992. Just two years later, in 1994, it became a private company. This was also the year it received its official airline code from the IATA.
Growing and Changing
In the early 2000s, Siberia Airlines grew by joining with other smaller airlines, like Vnukovo Airlines, Baikal Airlines, and Chelyabinsk Airlines. This made the company much larger.
In 2004, the airline started using planes made outside of Russia for the first time, beginning with the Airbus A310. A big change happened in 2005 when the airline rebranded. It changed its name and look to become the bright green S7 Airlines that people know today.
In 2007, S7 started a new airline called Globus. This airline focused on flying tourists to vacation spots. S7 joined the Oneworld airline alliance in 2010, which allowed it to work with other major airlines around the world.
Fun Facts and Recent Events
In 2016, the American rock band OK Go worked with S7 Airlines to film a music video for their song "Upside Down & Inside Out." The video was filmed inside a special plane that creates a "zero-gravity" feeling, making the band members float as if they were in space.
In 2019, S7 Airlines and Globus Airlines officially merged into one company. To celebrate its history, S7 painted one of its Airbus A320-200 planes in a special "retro" style. The design is a mix of its old Siberia Airlines look and its modern S7 look.
Challenges Since 2022
Starting in February 2022, due to political events in Eastern Europe, S7 and other Russian airlines were banned from flying into the airspace of the European Union and several other countries. Because of this, S7 had to stop all of its international flights.
These events also made it difficult for the airline to get new planes and spare parts for its existing ones. This has caused some of S7's planes, especially its newer Airbus models, to be grounded because they cannot be properly maintained.
Destinations
S7 Airlines flies to many cities, mostly within Russia. The airline also works with other airlines through special agreements.
A codeshare agreement means that S7 can sell tickets for flights operated by another airline, making it easier for passengers to connect. S7 has these agreements with:
- Azerbaijan Airlines
- Azimuth
- Uzbekistan Airways
An interline agreement is a simpler partnership that allows passengers to book a single trip that involves flights on multiple airlines. S7 has these agreements with several airlines, including Emirates, Qatar Airways, and All Nippon Airways.
S7 Airlines Fleet
The "fleet" is the collection of all the airplanes an airline uses. As of 2024, S7 Airlines uses several types of modern aircraft.
Current Planes
.jpg)
Here are the planes currently in the S7 fleet:
| Aircraft | In service |
Passengers | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B | E | Total | |||
| Airbus A319-100 | 2 | — | 144 | 144 | Both planes are currently parked and not flying. |
| Airbus A320-200 | 16 | — | 174 | 174 | One is painted in a special hybrid-retro design. |
| Airbus A320neo | 31 | 8 | 156 | 164 | Many of these planes are parked. They are planned to be retired. |
| Airbus A321-200 | 11 | 8 | 189 | 197 | |
| Airbus A321neo | 8 | 8 | 195 | 203 | All of these planes are currently parked. |
| Boeing 737-800 | 17 | 8 | 168 | 176 | One is painted in the Oneworld livery. |
| Embraer E170 | 17 | — | 78 | 78 | Some of these planes are parked. |
| S7 Airlines Cargo fleet | |||||
| Boeing 737-800BCF | 2 | Cargo | Used for carrying goods, not people. | ||
| Total | 104 | ||||
Retired Planes
Over the years, S7 Airlines has used many different types of aircraft that are no longer in its fleet. Many of these were Russian-made planes from the Soviet era.
Some of the retired planes include:
- Airbus A310-200 and Airbus A310-300
- Boeing 737-400 and Boeing 737-500
- Boeing 767-300ER
- Antonov An-24
- Tupolev Tu-154
- Tupolev Tu-204-100
Accidents and Incidents
Like all major airlines, S7 has had accidents in its long history.
- October 4, 2001: Siberia Airlines Flight 1812, a Tupolev Tu-154M, crashed into the Black Sea. The crash happened after the plane was accidentally hit by a missile during a military training exercise. All 78 people on board died.
- August 24, 2004: Siberia Airlines Flight 1047, a Tupolev Tu-154B2, crashed near Rostov-on-Don, Russia. The crash was caused by a bomb on board. All 46 people on the plane died.
- July 9, 2006: S7 Airlines Flight 778, an Airbus A310, had an accident while landing in Irkutsk, Siberia. The plane did not slow down properly, went off the runway, and hit a concrete wall. Sadly, 125 of the 203 people on board died.
- December 2, 2021: An S7 Airlines Airbus A321neo had to make an emergency landing in Irkutsk. The plane flew into very icy conditions, which made it difficult for the pilots to control. They safely landed the plane, and no one was injured.
See also
In Spanish: S7 Airlines para niños
- Babyflot
- List of airlines of Russia
- Transport in Russia
