Astra Airlines Flies to Moscow

Greek carrier Astra Airlines has inaugurated flights between its Thessaloniki base and Moscow Domodedovo using a newly acquired Boeing 737-800. The carrier will operate up to nine flights per week with twice daily rotations on Thursday through Sunday using the jet wet-leased from Egyptian operator AMC Airlines.

The small regional carrier launched services in July 2008 and up until recently has operated just two BAe 146-300s. The airline has mainly focused on domestic flights and international ad hoc charters. However, the arrival of the 189-seat Boeing 737-800 will enable it to expand its network with new links to Kiev, Novosibirsk, Omsk, Rostov-on-Don and St Petersburg all in the process of being added.

The Thessaloniki – Moscow route is already served by Aegean Airlines on a twice weekly seasonal basis and by Russian carrier Vim Airlines four times every week. An estimated 59,000 O&D passengers travelled on the route in the past year, with average fares of $206 in each direction.