Azur Air
{{Short description|Russian charter airline}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}}
{{distinguish|Azul Airlines}}
{{Infobox airline
| airline = Azur Air
| logo = Azur Air logo.png
| logo_size = 250
| image = 250px
| caption = Azur Air Boeing 767-300ER
| IATA = ZF
| ICAO = AZV
| TCH =
| callsign = AZUR AIR
| parent =
| subsidiaries = Azur Air Ukraine
| founded = {{start date and age|1992}}
| headquarters = Moscow, Russia
| key_people = {{nowrap|Alexander Zosymov, General Director}}
| hubs = {{nowrap|Vnukovo International Airport}}
| focus_cities =
| frequent_flyer =
| lounge =
| alliance =
| fleet_size = 16
| destinations =
| website = [https://www.azurair.ru/en/ azurair.ru]
|aoc=|num_employees=}}
Azur Air ({{langx|ru|Азур Эйр}}), formerly Katekavia and stylised as azurair, is a charter airline and former regional airline in Russia. Initially it was based in Krasnoyarsk Cheremshanka Airport, the domestic airport serving Krasnoyarsk, and its destinations were all within Krasnoyarsk Krai.{{Cite web|title=Авиакомпания "КАТЭКАВИА": регулярные и чартерные перевозки по России, доставка грузов, самолёты в аренду|url=http://katekavia.ru/passengers/regular|publisher=Katekavia.ru|access-date=4 July 2012|date=4 July 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120130024315/http://katekavia.ru/passengers/regular|archive-date=30 January 2012|url-status=dead}} Nowadays, it mainly serves leisure destinations such as the route Moscow to Bodrum, offering an all-business class charter.{{cite web|url=https://www.azurair.ru/en/for-passengers/premial-class |title=Premium classes of service |website=azurair.ru |access-date=2023-10-24}} It is currently on the list of airlines banned in the European Union.{{Cite web |title=The EU Air Safety List - European Commission |url=https://transport.ec.europa.eu/transport-themes/eu-air-safety-list_en |access-date=2025-02-07 |website=transport.ec.europa.eu |language=en}}
History
=Katekavia=
The airline started operations in 1995 and operates regional flights out of Krasnoyarsk Cheremshanka Airport and Krasnoyarsk-Yemelyanovo Airport.{{Cite web|title=Katekavia|url=https://asn.flightsafety.org/database/operators/8741|publisher=Aviation Safety Network|access-date=3 August 2010}}{{Cite web|title=russianplanes.net ✈ наша авиация|url=http://russianplanes.net/airline/267|publisher=russianplanes.net|access-date=3 April 2014|date=3 April 2014}} The airline also operates charter services to Siberia and Yakutia. It carried around 122,000 passengers in 2009,{{cn|date=May 2023}} and in 2010, started to acquire larger aircraft, mainly the Tupolev Tu-134. As of 3 April 2014, it had three Tupolev Tu-134s.
In April 2014, the airline commenced scheduled flights between larger Krasnoyarsk-Yemelyanovo Airport and further cities in Siberia: Surgut and Tomsk. The airline received international media and social media attention in 2014, when a video emerged of passengers on a scheduled flight from Igarka to Krasnoyarsk disembarking pre-departure to push their plane in temperatures of minus 52 degrees Celsius after its chassis froze.{{cite web|title=Passengers forced to push their frozen plane in Siberia|url=http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2014/11/27/passengers-forced-push-their-frozen-plane-siberia|access-date=27 November 2014}}
=Azur Air=
In 2015, Katekavia handed over its fleet to Turukhan Airlines. Katekavia was rebranded as a leisure carrier and renamed Azur Air.{{Cite web|url=http://www.ato.ru/content/aviakompaniya-turuhan-zavershila-formirovanie-samoletnogo-parka|title = Авиакомпания "Турухан" завершила формирование самолетного парка|date = 12 February 2015}}{{cite journal|title=Siberian Sun|journal=Airliner World|date=July 2015|page=8}}
In February 2018, the Russian aviation authority RosAviatsiya announced that Azur Air faces a suspension of its operational licence by 20 March 2018 if the carrier does not resolve alleged safety violations by then. As this would lead to the shut down of all flight operations, Russian tourism agency RosTourism advised tour operators to not sell tickets on Azur Air for the time being.[https://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/news/64707-russias-tourism-body-warns-against-selling-azur-air-tickets ch-aviation.com - Russia's tourism body warns against selling Azur Air tickets] 27 February 2018
On 8 April 2022, the US Department of Commerce restricted flights on aircraft manufactured in the US for Aeroflot, Aviastar, Azur Air, Belavia, Rossiya and Utair. It seems the US wants to reclaim ownership of the intellectual property. On 16 June, the US broadened its restrictions on the six airlines after violations of the sanctions regime were detected. The effect of the restrictions is to ground the US-manufactured part of its fleet.{{cite news |title=US Broadens Restrictions on Belarus National Airline After Violations |url=https://www.voanews.com/a/us-broadens-restrictions-on-belarus-national-airline-after-violations-/6620206.html |publisher=VOA News |date=16 June 2022}}
As of July 2022, Azur Air was forced to drastically reduce its international network due to sanctions against Russia as well as the recall of several aircraft by their lessors in accordance with these.[https://www.aerotelegraph.com/azur-air-muss-haelfte-der-flotte-am-boden-lassen aerotelegraph.com - "Azur Air forced to ground half its fleet"] (German) 1 July 2022
Fleet
=Current fleet=
{{As of|2025|2}}, Azur Air operates an all-Boeing fleet composed of the following aircraft:{{Cn|date=January 2025}}
| class="wikitable" style="border-collapse:collapse;text-align:center;margin:auto;" |
| rowspan="2"|Aircraft
!rowspan="2"|In service !rowspan="2"|Orders !colspan="3"|Passengers !rowspan="2"|Notes |
|---|
| C
!Y !Total |
| rowspan="2" |Boeing 757-200
|9 | rowspan="2" |— |— |238 |238 | |
| 1
|72 |— |72 |1 equipped in all-business class configuration.{{Cn|date=January 2025}} |
| Boeing 767-300ER
|6 |— |— |336 |336 | |
| Total
!16 !— ! colspan="4" | |
=Former fleet=
Azur Air additionally formerly operated the following aircraft types:{{Cn|date=January 2025}}
- Boeing 737-800{{Cn|date=January 2025}}
- Boeing 737-900ER{{Cn|date=January 2025}}
- Boeing 777-300ER{{Cn|date=January 2025}}
Accidents and incidents
File:Katekavia Flight 9357 crash site (from MAK report).jpg]]
- On 3 August 2010, Katekavia Flight 9357, an Antonov An-24, crashed on approach to Igarka Airport, killing twelve people. The crash was caused by pilot error. As a result of the crash, the Russian government started to investigate how Katekavia operated their flights.{{Cite web|url=http://www.avherald.com/h?article=42f1b7df&opt=0 |title=Crash: Katekavia AN24 at Igarka on 3 August 2010, impacted ground short of runway |publisher=Aviation Herald | date=2010-08-02 | access-date=2010-08-02}}
- In January 2023, a Boeing 757 with flight registration RA-73071 and flight number AZV2463 from Perm, Russia, to Goa, India, was affected by an e-mail bomb threat causing it to be diverted to Termez Airport in Uzbekistan for inspection while flying over Pakistan airspace. The threat was eventually determined to be false, and the flight, which carried 238 passengers including two infants and seven crew members, was allowed to continue to its destination. This incident followed a bomb threat against a flight from Moscow to Goa which led to an emergency landing at Jamnagar Airport in Gujarat.{{cite web |title=Azur Air flight from Russia to India diverted after second bomb threat in two weeks |url=https://english.alarabiya.net/News/world/2023/01/21/Azur-Air-flight-from-Russia-to-India-diverted-after-second-bomb-threat-in-two-weeks |website=Al Arabiya English |access-date=21 January 2023 |language=en |date=21 January 2023}}{{cite news |title=Moscow-Goa flight diverted to Uzbekistan after bomb threat: Police |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/moscow-goa-flight-diverted-to-uzbekistan-after-bomb-threat-police/articleshow/97190881.cms |website=Times of India |date=21 January 2023 |access-date=21 January 2023}}
- On 5 February 2023, a Boeing 767 with flight number ZF3774 from Phuket, Thailand, to Krasnoyarsk, Russia, aborted take-off after the aircraft's tire exploded.{{cite web |last1=Clarke |first1=Jamie |title=BREAKING: Azur Air 767 Engine Bursts Into Flames - AviationSource News |url=https://aviationsourcenews.com/airline/breaking-azur-air-767-engine-bursts-into-flames/ |access-date=6 February 2023 |date=5 February 2023}}{{cite web |last1=Noëth |first1=Bart |title=Azur Air Boeing 767-300 rejects take-off at Phuket, Thailand |url=https://www.aviation24.be/airlines/azur-air/boeing-767-300-rejects-take-off-at-phuket-thailand/ |website=Aviation24.be |access-date=6 February 2023 |date=5 February 2023}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category-inline|Azur Air}}
- [http://www.azurair.com/ Official website]
{{Portal bar|Aviation|Russia}}
{{Airlines of Russia}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Companies based in Krasnoyarsk
Category:Airlines established in 1995