News

AZUR air News, august 29, 2019. AZUR air has started selling food on board.

AZUR air now sells drinks and snacks on flights from Vnukovo International Airport and Pulkovo International Airport. Passengers on all flights from Moscow and Saint Petersburg can now buy various soft and alcoholic drinks, snacks, and desserts. On-board sales are also available on return flights.

On flights from Moscow, you can pay in cash or by VISA, MasterCard, or MIR in RUB, USD, or EUR. Exchange rates are determined by the acquiring bank at the time of purchase. On flights from Saint Petersburg, only cash payments are available.

This offer of drinks and snacks complements the basic set of services provided by the airline on all flights depending on their duration. The company serves tea, coffee, and water on flights under five hours and hot meals on longer flights.

Passengers flying out of almost any city of the destination network of AZUR air (for flights longer than five hours) are offered special children's catering AZUR Petit and vegetarian AZUR Vegy which can be ordered in advance. Passengers flying out of Saint Petersburg can order restaurant-quality catering on board. To place an order, complete the special form on the airline's website azurair.com.

August 28, 2019


AZUR air News, august 13, 2019. AZUR air flight punctuality amounts to 97% for 2 summer months.

AZUR air airline announces that the flight punctuality indicator in June-July 2019 amounted to 97%, it was increased by one percentage point compared to the same period last year. At the same time, the volume of operations was increased by 26% and amounted to more than 5 thousand flights.

Ensuring high level of flight punctuality is one of the priority goals of the airline within the framework of improving the quality of its services both for group tourists who purchase tickets for AZUR air flights as part of package travel products, as well as for independent travelers.

Capacities backup and flexibility of schedule optimization make it possible to maintain flight punctuality at an acceptable level in the high season.

In addition, the airline and providers of handling services jointly are taking a set of measures to comply with the established aircraft schedule at all airports of the route network. At the same time, the efficiency of operational maintenance processes is increasing, which also positively impacts on ensuring the flight punctuality.

August 13, 2019


AZUR air News, July 12, 2019. AZUR air aircraft gets multimedia systems.

AZUR air has introduced in-flight entertainment systems for passengers. All Boeing 777-300ER planes rolled out this year are equipped with the new multimedia systems. This type of aircraft is extensively used on long-haul Transatlantic flights taking over 10 hours.

"The airline keeps boosting its levels of service both on charter and scheduled flights. When passengers opt for AZUR air to get to their amazing holiday destinations, we need to make sure that each flight is safe, affordable, and as comfortable as possible. Maximum comfort is essential for long-haul flights, above all," said Yuriy Stogniy, General Director of AZUR air.

The new IFE system on the Boeing 777-300ER aircraft is stationary. Personal monitors are installed on the back of seats. Touch-screen technology allows the passengers to access any content easily. The content for the system has been chosen to cover the interests of the different categories and ages of AZUR air customers. Aside from a large number of popular TV series and music of different genres, AZUR air offers a selection of 40 movies: drama, action, comedy, animated cartoons, and more. This includes Oscar winners such as The Grand Budapest Hotel and Mad Max: Fury Road.

Given that most passengers travel with children, AZUR air has also picked out a wide range of cartoons and family movies: Ice Age: Collision Course, The Lego Movie, Rio, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, and more. All generations will appreciate the Soviet classics: Kin-dza-dza!, The Diamond Arm, Mimino—these will brighten up every flight.

During the summer season, the Boeing 777-300ER aircraft is used for both medium-range and long-haul flights: from Moscow (Vnukovo) to Antalya and Bodrum (Turkey), Enfidha (Tunisia), La Romana (the Dominican Republic), Cancún (Mexico), and Varadero (Cuba).

July 12, 2019


AZUR air News, July 12, 2019. AZUR air welcomes millionth passenger served in vnukovo international airport in 2019

On July 12, AZUR air welcomed the airline's millionth passenger since the beginning of 2019, served in Vnukovo International Airport. The lucky millionth passenger was Kristian Rodionov who checked in for flight ZF-8783 from Moscow to Antalya.

Anton Kuznetsov, Deputy Director of Commerce of Vnukovo International Airport, and Shukhrat Ibodov, First Deputy General Director of AZUR air, gave welcome speeches during the official event.

The management of Vnukovo Airport and AZUR air noted that the companies have enjoyed a fruitful collaboration and are planning to continue working together organizing international flights to the world's best resorts.

During the event, the millionth passenger received souvenirs and gifts from both the airport and the airline, including a certificate for a round trip with AZUR air to one of the airline's destinations and a certificate for free service at the business lounge at Vnukovo. Additionally, all passengers on the ZF-8783 flight from Moscow to Antalya were offered sweet treats.

AZUR air started operating flights from Vnukovo International Airport on October 1, 2018. In May 2019, AZUR air won "The Most Successful Development of Travel Destinations" category in the "On-Time Airline Performance Rating" awards organized by Vnukovo.

AZUR air is always expanding the number of flights to its tourist destinations and opening new routes. During the spring/summer period, AZUR air operates flights from Vnukovo to 21 international destinations. The most popular summer destinations are Turkey (Antalya, Alanya, Bodrum), Spain (Barcelona), Tunisia (Djerba). This May, AZUR air started developing inbound tourism in Russia and launched regular flights from Vnukovo International Airport to Taiyuan (Shanxi province, China).

As of today, the total number of passengers who have used AZUR air services is over 2.6 million, including 1 million passengers flying from Vnukovo International Airport.

July 12, 2019


AZUR air is now operating another Boeing 767-300, the eleventh aircraft of this type in the fleet. This brings the carrier's current fleet — replete with five different Boeing models — to 27 aircraft, an increase of 12.5% from the beginning of the year.

This summer the company is using Boeing 767-300 aircraft for touristic hotspots — Turkey, Spain, Vietnam, Thailand, China, Dominican Republic, and others. The airline also deploys this model to service its Taiyuan – Moscow flight for incoming tourists from China.

In 2019, AZUR air is continuing to expand its fleet by adding more Boeing 767-300 and Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. The expansion program is intended to strengthen the carrier's position among charter operators and meet the growing demand of travel companies. In the first five months of 2019, this program allowed AZUR air to serve 1.7 million passengers, a 21.4% year-on-year increase.

June 11, 2019


AZUR air News, June 05, 2019. AZUR air opens scheduled flights to turkey from 23 russian cities.

AZUR air is launching scheduled flights to Turkey from 23 cities across Russia. This includes flights to Antalya from Belgorod, Nizhny Novgorod, Voronezh, Kaliningrad, Murmansk, Syktyvkar, Rostov-on-Don, Chelyabinsk, Tyumen, Krasnoyarsk, Kemerovo, Novokuznetsk, Tomsk, Irkutsk, Mineralnyye Vody, Novosibirsk, Barnaul, Astrakhan, Surgut; flights to Dalaman from Rostov-on-Don, Krasnodar, Kaliningrad, Belgorod, and Nizhnekamsk; flights to Bodrum from Yekaterinburg, Rostov-on-Don, and Krasnodar.

"In 2018, almost a quarter of all our passengers were travelers to Turkey. This year, Turkish resorts are even more popular with Russian tourists. The launch of scheduled flights will first of all help clients of our partner-tour operators to better plan their trips due to the regular flight schedule. At the same time, we are also trying to meet the needs of tourists who do not use the services of travel agencies," said Yuriy Stogniy, General Director of AZUR air.

With the scheduled flights available, independent tourists traveling to Turkey will be able to purchase tickets from our official website azurair.com or via accredited agents.

AZUR air currently operates charter and scheduled flights to Turkey from 39 Russian cities to four destinations: Antalya, Alanya, Bodrum, and Dalaman. In 2019, the airline added flights to Antalya from Orsk, Makhachkala, and Magnitogorsk. Most routes use Boeing 767-300 planes, which are more spacious than last year's aircraft; the Moscow–Bodrum route uses the company's flagship Boeing 777-300ER with 42 business class seats. Overall, market forecasts predict a growing demand for flights to Turkey in 2019. It could reach about 10%–12%.

June 5, 2019


AZUR air News, May 27, 2019. Vnukovo International Airport awards AZUR air for most successful development of travel destinations.

Vnukovo International Airport held the first "On-time Airline Performance Rating" ceremony based on the results of the fall–winter season 2018–2019. The awards took place at DoubleTree by Hilton Moscow – Vnukovo Airport.

Winners were announced in 10 nominations. AZUR air won "The Most Successful Development of Travel Destinations" category.

AZUR air is always expanding the volumes of its current tourist destinations and opening new routes, including flights from Vnukovo International Airport. During the spring–summer period, AZUR air operates flights from Vnukovo to 21 international destinations. The most popular destinations in summer are Turkey (Antalya, Alanya, Bodrum), Barcelona (Spain), Djerba (Tunisia).

For those who enjoy Greece, AZUR air is planning to open flights this May from Moscow to Rhodes, in addition to the flights to Crete. Starting from June, Vnukovo will increase the number of flights to the airports of Barcelona (Spain), Larnaca (Cyprus), Palma (Spain), Enfidha and Djerba (Tunisia), Tivat (Montenegro), Sanya (China). Also from June, the Boeing 767-300 on flights to La Romana (Dominican Republic) will be joined by the long-range wide-body Boeing 777-300.

This May, AZUR air started working on developing inbound tourism in Russia and opened regular flights from Vnukovo International Airport to Taiyuan (Shanxi province, China).

The active development of travel destinations with flights from Moscow and other cities of Russia has become possible due to an increased number of aircraft and broader cooperation with travel agencies.

May 27, 2019


AZUR air News, May 20, 2019. AZUR air is now providing services to tourists visiting Russia.

AZUR air airline announced it is now operating regular flights from Vnukovo International Airport to Taiyuan (Shanxi Province, China) once a week on Friday by Boeing 767-300. The flight program is designed for Chinese tourists visiting Russia. The first 328 customers arrived in Moscow on Saturday, May 18. Until recently, AZUR air only handled outbound tourist flows, operating flights of Russian citizens from 42 Russian regions to 27 international tourist destinations.

Tickets for the new destination are available as part of integrated travel products now offered in cooperation with Chinese partners. They are currently available for purchase on the airline's website: www.azurair.com.

“The airline is branching out to a new business area. Inbound tourism is now considered one of the top priorities in the Russian tourist industry. Recent years have seen dynamic growth of Chinese tourist flow ahead of other countries. According to our projections, it will continue growing in the long-term. Almost 1.7 million Chinese tourists visited Russia in 2018, which is 13.4% more than in 2017. More and more Chinese citizens are discovering Russia, and we are glad to help them visit our country and get to know its rich history and culture,” says Yury Stogny, Director General of AZUR air. “Given the growing interest in Russian tourist centers, we are planning to start regular flights soon to another Chinese province from Pulkovo Airport, St. Petersburg,” adds Mr. Stogny.

The tourist inflow from the Chinese People's Republic to Russia is also supported by the relaxed visa regime between the two countries. Thanks to an intergovernmental agreement, organized tourist groups from China can stay in Russia visa-free for up to 30 days.

All AZUR air departments involved in direct customer interactions are prepped to service Chinese tourists. The official airline website is also available in Chinese. Vnukovo International Airport likewise provides guests from China with a comfortable environment. The Airport is certified by the China Friendly program established by the World Without Borders tourist association. When dining and shopping in the airport, tourists can use UnionPay, while restaurants and cafés also offer menus in Chinese.

May 20, 2019


AZUR air News, May 17, 2019. AZUR air to revise its menu on short-haul flights.

As of June 1, 2019, meal service will be discontinued on AZUR air flights of less than 5 hours. Instead, customers will be offered hot beverages and water. That said, full meal service will still be available to business class passengers on flights of less than 5 hours.

The decision comes in the wake of the changing air travel market conditions, which are affected by a number of factors. One is the spike in jet fuel prices, which soared at least 30% in 2018. Another important factor is the increase in airport fees, as airport operators strive to renovate terminals, improve airport infrastructure, and boost customer service through large-scale investment programs.

Since AZUR air's mission is to provide customers with safe air travel to the top world resorts while keeping it low-cost, the carrier is adamant about counteracting the price hikes. By cancelling economy-class meals on short-haul flights, the company will at least be able to maintain current prices or even reduce them wherever macroeconomic conditions are favorable.

Importantly, passengers departing from Saint Petersburg are invited to take advantage of the Restaurant on Board service to order additional meals. This service is relatively new for Russian airlines. Currently, it is being adapted for flights departing from the company's hub, Vnukovo International Airport. Its launch is scheduled for the upcoming summer season.

Please note that the airline is making no changes to standard meal service on flights of over 5 hours. On flights with a duration of 5–6 hours, customers will be offered a selection of hot and cold beverages, as well as hot meals. Flights lasting more than 6 hours will feature a wide range of hot and cold beverages, hot rations, and snacks.

On long-haul flights, the airline also provides the AZUR Delish meal selection service, which means customers can order a vegetarian or children's menu option instead of the standard ration.

May 17, 2019