Aeroflot-Nord could go bankrupt
Arkhangelsk-based Aeroflot Nord must draw up a reorganisation plan before mid-July. Otherwise bankrupt procedures will start. The company is currently the only airliner with regular international flights within the Barents Region.
Aeroflot’s Chief Executive Vitaly Saveliev told reporters after last board meeting that both Aeroflot’s two subsidiaries Aeroflot Don and Aeroflot Nord are risking bankruptcy, according to Reuters. The a “survival” plan must in fact be presented by July 15.
The image of Aeroflot-Nord got a serious blow when alcohol was found in the blood of one of its pilots who crashed over the Urals, killing 88 people on board, as reported by BarentsObserver.com. The aircraft went down as it prepared to land at the Perm airport in bad weather on September 14, last year.
Two years ago, a flight attendant onboard Aeroflot Nord’s flight from Murmansk to Tromsø was arrested shortly after landing. She was nearby too drunk to stand and was reported to the police because she spoiled coffee on the passengers. Blood test taken shortly after proved large concentrations of alcohol. The 38 year old flight attendant was sentenced to 60 days in prison and was sacked from Aeroflot-Nord.
From 1991 till 2004 the airliner was named Arkhangelsk airlines. Aeroflot Nord operates a fleet of 11 Boeing 737, 10 Tu-134 and six An-24 / An-26 aircrafts. The company is currently the only airliner with regular flights from northern-Russia to northern-Norway.
In addition to the Arkhangelsk- Murmansk- Tromsø flight, Aeroflot-Nord also operates domestic flights from Arkhangelsk to other destinations within the Barents Region, like Naryan-Mar, Kirovsk, Kotlas, Usinsk and Solovki.
