OJSC “Vnukovo Airlines” was registered with the government on 03/31/1993 and was based at Vnukovo Airport at 12, Reisova Street. The company began to carry out actual flights in May 1993, having achieved stability in flights by 1994. In the first year, the number of employees increased to 3300 people. By the end of the last century, the stock fleet of the Joint Stock Company consisted of 59 aircraft.
History of creation
By Presidential Decree No. 242 of November 28, 1991, the newly created Ministry of Transport of the RSFSR transferred all the property of the USSR Civil Aviation Ministry, and on April 10 of the following year, the act on the termination of the abolished Ministry was drawn up. From this moment, end-to-end management ceases and each of the Civil Aviation Authorities that took place is renamed to a territorial airline. Thus, enterprising managers create small airlines on the basis of squadrons, and the Vnukovo Airlines company is formed from fixed assets and specialists of the Vnukovo squadron.
Technical equipment
At the dawn of occurrence, within the framework of continuity, the company got 58 pieces of equipment, including:
- 22 aircraft of the IL-86 brand;
- TU-154B, TU-154M in the amount of 23 units;
- YAK-42D - 3 pieces.
Since 1993, tests of the state-of-the-art TU-204 aircraft began at the Vnukovo Airport base, and on 23 February 1996, this aircraft made its first flight from Moscow to Mineralnye Vody. Subsequently, the Russian airline Vnukovo Airlines will have 4 more TU-204 aircraft and 1 TU-204S airliner.
By the time the company ceased to exist, its technical equipment was:
- 18 devices IL-86;
- 16 units of TU-154 of several variations;
- 2 pieces of TU-204.
Some of the aircraft were dismantled for scrap, and some more modern means entered the air fleet of Siberia Airlines.
Traffic statistics
During the existence of Vnukovo Airlines, 66 communications were established. Of these, 35 routes became regular. Flights were carried out to the cities: Almaty, Arkhangelsk, Krasnoyarsk, Kurgan, Magadan, Nizhnevartovsk, Polyarny, St. Petersburg and another 27 settlements. The company has become the largest carrier in Russia, carrying out charter foreign routes to Austria, Bulgaria, Greece, Egypt, Spain, Italy, the Emirates, Thailand, Turkey, Croatia.
In 1996, located in Moscow, OJSC Vnukovo Airlines achieved the following results:
- passenger turnover - 4,501,702 thousand passengers km / 1932.7 thousand people;
- cargo turnover - 453 147 thousand tons / km;
- cargo transportation - 12 750 tons;
- mail delivery - 1645 tons;
- commercial loading - 64.1%.
Company collapse
After several years of continuous work, the Russian Air Consortium, founded in 1995, which specialized in the development and subsequent management of civilian aircraft construction projects, became the main shareholder of Vnukovo Airlines. The merit of the air consortium in the modernization of the TU-204 aircraft for cargo transportation is high.
In 1997, the company's management decided to absorb several competitors, including the well-known air carrier Sibir. The attempt was unsuccessful. In addition, in 1999 the airlines switched places, and Sibir was already preparing to absorb the recent favorite in air travel. It was decided to merge the two companies, issue shares and carry out a profitable interchange. However, the owners on either side were not satisfied with the candidacy of the head and negotiations on the merger were suspended. In 2001, the companies returned to the discussion of a possible merger and embarked on the path of bankruptcy of the airline, which had been tormented by the crisis, with the aim of obtaining Siberian Airlines an air fleet of Vnukovo Airlines and full control over it.
Company takeover
After the acquisition of bankruptcy status, announced by a decision of the Moscow Arbitration Court, and the completion of the bankruptcy proceedings, the company ceased to exist on the legal side. As a result of the bankruptcy, Sibir, which became the unofficial successor of the debtor, was not obliged to fulfill any of its loan obligations. This so-called "velvet" takeover has proven beneficial to both parties. At the meeting of shareholders, the decision was made to transfer the enlarged company to a single share with a state share of 25%.
After Vnukovo Airlines is liquidated, Siberia Airlines pays most of its debts. Becoming the main creditor, she receives all the bankrupt air transport, manages routes and controls revenue. Having received quotas for most of the routes of the former competitor, Siberia forces the companion to stop flying. And in April 2002, Vnukovo Airlines practically ceased to exist, in connection with the revocation of the license for air transportation.
Rough landing
12/25/1993 the TU-154 ship, launched in 1978 and owned by Vnukovo Airlines, made an internal regular passenger flight from Moscow to Grozny. Onboard there were 172 people, including 7 crew members. Due to bad weather, the aircraft pilots could not make a soft landing. However, none of those present on board were seriously injured. Due to an unsuccessful landing, the plane received serious breakdowns, was deducted from the balance sheet of OJSC, left at the airport of Grozny and never took off again. 11/30/1994 during the Chechen campaign TU-154 was destroyed as a result of Russian air strike.
Tragedy at Longyearbyen Airport
On August 29, 1996, the TU-154 airliner made a charter flight from Vnukovo International Airport. A plane taking off in Vnukovo will never return. Later, the crew will be called the culprit of the tragedy. When landing at the Norwegian Longyearbyen airport, there were bad weather conditions, it was raining. The crew requested landing on the tenth lane several times, but due to difficulties in translation, it was sent to enter from the opposite direction. Turning into the allowed lane, the aircraft collided with the mountain of the Svalbard archipelago at an altitude of 907 meters. All passengers and crew in the amount of 141 people were killed.
Terror capture
11.11.2000 TU-154 aircraft, heading from Makhachkala to Moscow, was captured by a terrorist. His only requirement was a change of course. The destination point of the route by the invader was Israel. The crew was forced to comply with the requirements of the terrorist, and the aircraft deviated from the route. Landing was carried out at the Israeli military base, where the invader surrendered. Victims out of 59 people on board were avoided.
Chechen trace
03/15/2001 board TU-154, the next from Istanbul to Moscow, came under the influence of Chechens - terrorists. Three hijackers, the youngest of whom was 16 years old, demanded to bring them to Saudi Arabia. The purpose of the hijacking, according to the leader, was to draw the attention of the whole world to the problems of Chechnya. The crew tried to request an emergency landing, but the terrorists threatened to kill everyone. To suppress the will of passengers and pilots, the terrorists threatened to arrange an explosion on board, and presented a fake fuse for public display. The criminals warned of a fourth man hiding among the passengers and hiding the bomb on himself. Subsequently, this statement was not confirmed. Flying over Turkey, Cyprus and Egypt, an airplane whose fuel was drawing to a close was forced to land at the Medina International Airport. Long negotiations between the terrorists and the authorities did not lead to a result. During their stay at the airport, some passengers managed to escape, and in the last minutes before the military operation, the pilots were instructed to leave the cockpit. The assault on the liner was carried out by Saudi special forces. As a result of the operation, the leader of the terrorists was killed, 173 people were saved, one of the passengers on board and the stewardess Yulia Fomina died, whose name was later named the hijacked plane.