Red Wings: aircraft and routesRed Wings: aircraft and routes

History and development

The company appeared in 1999 under the name "Airlines 400", and the Red Wings brand received in 2007. In its history there are regular passenger flights, charter programs and cargo transportation.

Initially, the company was associated with the Vnukovo Aircraft Repair Plant. In the 2000s, under the name "Airlines 400", she worked with Tu-204 aircraft; the current brand marked a new stage in the development of the carrier.

There were also breaks in the development of the carrier: in 2013, after the suspension of the operator's certificate, the company was checked and returned to flying. In the summer of that year, charters first resumed, then regular lines.

The development of Red Wings has not been continuous. After the suspension of flights in 2013, the carrier eliminated the regulator's comments, restored the certificate and returned first to charter and then to regular flights. Later, the company again expanded the directions and changed the structure of the park. This period explains why historical photos of Red Wings show a different composition of aircraft than modern collections.

The history of Red Wings includes a change of ownership, name and flight model. Starting as an aircraft repair company, the company became an independent carrier, then experienced a pause in work and restored flights. These stages explain why in different materials about it there are both the name “Airlines 400” and the usual current brand.

Milestones

• 1999: The carrier began operations as "Airlines 400", associated with the aviation enterprise in Vnukovo.
• 2007: The name Red Wings appeared, under which regular and charter flights were developed.
• 2013: after the suspension of the certificate, the company resumed charter, then regular transportation.
• 2014: The network was expanded with new routes from Moscow and between regional cities.
• 2010s: The Superjet 100 takes its place in the park next to the historically important Tu-204.

Route networks

Red Wings focuses on the direct connections of the regions and combines a regular schedule with charter programs. This structure allows you to serve both everyday trips between cities and seasonal demand for tourist destinations.

In the route network meet both domestic and international destinations. Regular lines are designed for repetitive demand between cities, and the charter program can be built for a specific season or customer.

The historical Red Wings network included resort flights from Moscow and destinations between other cities. In 2014, the company opened, in particular, routes to the Black Sea coast and the Caucasus, while developing a regional program.

Regular routes provide a constant connection between cities, and charters usually depend on the customer’s program or season. Red Wings operated in both schemes, including tourist flights to the south and flights between regional centers. Therefore, the flight map of one summer season can not describe the entire history of the company or its next schedule.

Aircraft and features

Superjet 100 plays an important role in the development of the regional network. Previously, the carrier also operated the Tu-204, so information about the historical fleet should not be taken for the composition of the aircraft on a particular flight.

The Superjet is designed for lower passenger traffic than the previously used Tu-204. Therefore, the change of main equipment well reflects the transition to regional routes; information about the historical fleet does not mean that this type is assigned to the current flight.

In the 2010s, the Superjet 100 was added to the former Tu-204. Such a change of the fleet reflected the search for routes with a different capacity: a regional aircraft is more convenient for lines with less stable passenger traffic.

Tu-204 has long been associated with the image of the Red Wings and was used on more capacious routes. The appearance of the Superjet 100 added the ability to serve less loaded regional lines without sending a large aircraft there. In the directories there are both types, but for a particular trip you need to look at the actual schedule and the actual carrier, and not rely on the historical list of the fleet.

In the old park, a special place was occupied by the Tu-204 - a larger Russian long-haul aircraft. The Superjet 100 made it possible to otherwise plan a network of regional flights. Both types are important to the history of Red Wings, but they can not be perceived as a constant composition of the fleet: the equipment and operating program of the carrier changed as the development.