Top 10 Eastern European Airlines By Fleet Size

Rossiya Airlines is a secondary national airline that operates scheduled and charter passenger flights from St. Petersburg and Moscow. It also operates VIP flights on behalf of the Russian government, including the Russian presidential aircraft fleet. In 2014, Rossiya, an Aeroflot subsidiary, was ranked the fifth-largest airline, according to Russia’s Transport Clearinghouse. It carried 5.1 million passengers in 2014, in a 13.1% increase over the previous year. Established in 1992, the airline is wholly owned by the Russian government and operates 33 aircraft.

Nordwind Airlines, a Russian scheduled and charter airline headquartered in Moscow, operates 33 aircraft primarily linking airports in Russia with holiday destinations (the Mediterranean Sea and Indian Ocean). Norwind Airlines signed a maintenance agreement with Boeing Shanghai Aviation Services last year that included heavy checks, pylon modification, full painting, landing gear replacement, avionics upgrades and cabin modifications on seven Boeing 767-300ERs that entered service last year.

Based in Yekaterinburg, Russia, Ural Airlines operates scheduled and chartered domestic and international flights from Koltsovo International Airport. The airline operates 38 aircraft (three more than it had in 2014). Last year, Ural Airlines selected FL Technics to provide Airbus A320 line maintenance at five airports in Armenia, Russia and Tajikistan.

Established in 1929, LOT Polish Airlines is the flag carrier of Poland and has a network of 60 destinations throughout Europe, the Middle East, North America and Asia, with most being served from its hub at Warsaw Chopin Airport. This year, the airline launched new cargo flights to the U.S. and Canada, including a Warsaw-New York freight route with an all-cargo Boeing 767-300. LOT operates 39 aircraft, many of which are Embraer 170s/175s

As the country’s flag carrier, Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) is the largest airline in the country. Its operations include domestic and international cargo and passenger flights to Europe, the Middle East, U.S. and Asia. This year, UIA launched flights from Kiev to Riga and Minsk. It has a fleet of 43 aircraft, five more than in 2014. 

S7 airlines, headquartered in Novosibirsk Oblast, Russia, operates scheduled domestic and international passenger flights. In 2014, S7 Airlines flew 7.9 million passengers, 12% more than in 2013. It has 60 aircraft in its fleet, up from 51 in 2014.

Low-cost Hungarian airline Wizz Air is headquartered in Budapest and serves many cities throughout Europe as well as the Middle East. In February, it launched its second attempt to have its shares traded on the London Stock Exchange. The airline flies 62 aircraft, up from 56 in 2014.

With its head office in St. Petersburg, Russia, Transaero Airlines operates scheduled and charter flights to more than 99 domestic and international destinations. Transaero was ranked second-largest Russian airline last year, according to Russia’s Transport Clearinghouse, carrying 13.2 million passengers, a 5.3% increase from the previous year. Its fleet consists of 111 aircraft.

Operating scheduled domestic and some international services, Utair Aviation is headquartered at Khanty-Mansiysk Airport in Russia. Utair also offers scheduled helicopter services, charter flights and helicopter support in the oil and gas industry across Western Siberia. The Russian government has taken steps to support national airlines this year and Utair Aviation is a candidate for this support. It operates 130 aircraft, up from its 2014 fleet of 109 aircraft

The No. 1 airline by fleet size in the region is Aeroflot Russian Airlines. It operates domestic and international passenger services and has a main hub at Sheremetyevo International Airport. Established in 1923, Aeroflot is one of the oldest airlines in the world. It took delivery of an 87-passenger Sukhoi Superjet 100 in April—although the Airbus A320 constitutes its largest fleet family. Aeroflot flies 186 aircraft, up from its 2014 fleet of 161 aircraft.