The Inflight Sales Group (ISG) has consolidated its fast growing Russian inflight duty free business with the addition of a new programme for Rossiya and a brand new contract with UTair which commences this August.

 

ISG is working with both of these airlines in partnership with Aeromar CJSC, which is majority owned by Aeroflot, with whom ISG also works.

 

Rossiya Airlines is focused on regional operations and works mainly out of Pulkovo Airport in St Petersburg and Vnukovo in Moscow. It currently services around 90 destinations, both domestic and international, including Barcelona, Berlin, Bourgas, Düsseldorf, Larnaca, Milan, Münich, Paris CDG, Prague, Rhodes, Rome Fiumicino, Tel Aviv, Varna, Vienna and other cities.

 

 

COMPLEX GROUP

By contrast, the UTair Group consists of many subsidiaries, including its airline and helicopter divisions that work from multiple Russian airports.

 

The airline side operates a fleet consisting of Boeing 767-200, 737-800, 737-500 and other aircraft. Last year UTair (planes and helicopters) transported 5.5m passengers to 150 destinations, while maintaining a hub for its 70-strong modern aircraft fleet at Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport.

 

ISG adds that with the routes that the new Rossiya operation is taking from Transaero [which went bankrupt in October 2015-Ed], it will shortly be operating more than 80 daily flights from Moscow and St Petersburg, compared with 35 today.

 

 

MULTIPLE DESTINATIONS

UTair is based in the Tyumen region of the Russian Federation and it operates 55 international and domestic routes to multiple destinations, including Uzbekistan, Armenia, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, Latvia and Lithuania.

 

Commenting on the dual development, ISG Director Europe Karen Durban said: “ISG is extremely pleased about this development with Rossiya and UTair. With our innovative sourcing strategies in place serving the Russian inflight retail market, we welcome this opportunity to extend our offering even further.

 

“It is also a great opportunity to consolidate our partnership locally with Aeromar’s catering unit that supports our retail operation here in Russia.”

 

INCREMENTAL BUSINESS

ISG Managing Director Tony Detter added: “We welcome our new partnership with UTair, which expands our reach in Russia and the adjacent regions. Rossiya’s consolidation and expansion is very important as it will allow for a more complete and exciting inflight retail offering for its passengers, which is a very positive development for the market as a whole. “

 

Crew members and management from both Rossiya and UTair attended the recent International Forum ’SKYSERVICE 2016’ event in Moscow, which was covered extensively by TRBusiness recently.