Airbus Updates No.3761

 

Azimuth Reveals Its First Airbus A220 Routes

All-Sukhoi operator Azimuth Airlines of Russia has revealed the first routes that will be operated by its incoming Airbus A220s

Azimuth Airlines has decided that the first two routes on which it will deploy its incoming A220s, starting from the 1st July. This Southern Russian airline is currently an all-Sukhoi operator, but it will receive six A220-300s by 2024.

First Azimuth A220 routes revealed

In expectation of receiving its first Airbus A220-300 in the first half of this year, Azimuth Airlines has scheduled its first flights with this aircraft type starting 1st July.

An analysis of Azimuth’s booking engine data reveals that the A220-300 will be used in the following w-pattern daily out of its home base in Rostov-on-Don Airport:

• Flight A4 201 departing Rostov-on-Don (ROV) at 07:35 to arrive in Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport (VKO) at 09:30
• Flight A4 735 departing Moscow Vnukovo (VKO) at 10:25 to arrive in Elista Airport (ESL) at 12:25
• Flight A4 736 departing Elista (ESL) at 13:25 to arrive in Moscow Vnukovo (VKO) at 15:25
• Flight A4 202 departing Moscow Vnukovo (VKO) at 16:20 or 17:10 to arrive back in Rostov-on-Don (ROV) at 18:10 or 19:00

• Apart from the daily A4 201 / A4 202 rotation, Azimuth’s other flights between ROV and VKO will be operated by the airline’s SSJ-100 fleet, according to current schedules.

  Interestingly, and perhaps indicative of Azimuth’s expectation of potential scheduling changes, it is not possible to book a seat on one of these four daily A220 flights. This is perhaps to give Azimuth the option of swapping the aircraft equipment back to a Sukhoi Superjet 100.

• When did Azimuth decide to get the A220?

  As Simple Flying reported in July, Azimuth Airlines ordered six Airbus A220-300 aircraft on a lease agreement from ALC. It announced the news that it would become Russia’s first operator of the A220 at the MAKS Air Show in Moscow.

  The six A220s will be delivered between the early summer of this year and 2024. They are all coming in a single-class layout, featuring 148 Economy Class seats in a 2-3 configuration.

• Originally, the expectation was for Azimuth to use the A220s on its short-haul international routes as well as flights to the Middle East that the A220 is perfect for because of its excellent range but also relatively low capacity.

  The latter is a key selling point for Azimuth because the airline flies out of secondary airports in Russia.

• Who is Azimuth?

  Back in 2019, Simple Flying wrote about Azimuth Airlines turning a profit as an all-Sukhoi operator. At the time, the airline had a load factor of almost 85%, which was impressive for a new regional brand.

  The airline has been operational since 2014, our data from ch-aviation shows. It has a fleet of 14 active SSJ100s and is awaiting delivery of a further 10. It has bases in Krasnodar (KRR) and Rostov-on-Don (ROV).