As a socially responsible business, PJSC Aeroflot has a wide range of social and charitable programmes. The Group makes meaningful contributions to the social and economic development of Russian regions by providing government-sponsored passenger transportation, and its charitable activities are primarily focused on supporting vulnerable groups such as children and veterans.

The Group’s subsidiaries strive to contribute to charity campaigns initiated by Aeroflot and provide targeted aid in the regions in which they operate, with a special focus on supporting veterans.

Social and economic development of Russian regions

Improving the accessibility of Russia’s regions

Improving the accessibility of Russia’s regions, including remote destinations, remains a major priority of Aeroflot. The Company has an extensive route network and supports the government-sponsored programme maintaining airline passenger services between the Far East and European Russia. Furthermore, Aeroflot airline runs a flat fare programme for economy class flights to remote regions. Flat fares apply to flights heading to Vladivostok, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Khabarovsk, Petropavlosk-Kamchatsky, Magadan, Kaliningrad, and Simferopol.

To support accessibility of the Russian Far East, Aeroflot extended the flat fares through to 2018 to include its Rossiya subsidiary’s flights connecting to cities in the Far East, which will help expand the passenger offering on key domestic routes. Flat fares are applicable to point-to-point transportation only.

Aeroflot carried more than 1.5 million passengers through flat rates in 2017 and over 4.3 million passengers since the initiative began in 2015.

Supporting regions

One of the Group’s main achievements is developed domestic route network. In the reporting period, Aeroflot airline launched new services to Belgorod, Khanty-Mansiysk, and Salekhard.

Aeroflot Group places a special focus on increasing the number of its inter-regional flights. In 2017, Pobeda airline did not use the Moscow transit hub for 50% of its flights. The company launched unique flights within Russia: Surgut – Makhachkala, Saint Petersburg – Nalchik, Saint Petersburg – Vladikavkaz, Krasnoyarsk – Yekaterinburg, Krasnoyarsk – Novosibirsk, Novosibirsk – Yekaterinburg, and Rostov – Yekaterinburg, among others. During the year, 350 thousand tickets for Pobeda airline flights were sold for as low as RUB 499, thereby increasing social mobility.

Aeroflot also contributed to promoting traditional Russian products by adding Tula honey-cake and Belyov pastila to the on-board menu, thereby raising awareness of the Tula Region as a unique Russian producer of world-famous merchandise historically associated with Russia.

Aeroflot signed a partnership agreement with the government of the Republic of Tatarstan to launch a joint IT development programme for civil aviation in Innopolis University. The partnership will be focused on developing technologies which improve access to air transportation, and the parties will also begin seeking out solutions to optimise the ground infrastructure.

Helping children

Miles of Mercy programme

Aeroflot adopted its Miles of Mercy programme as a way to provide assistance to severely ill children. The campaign encourages Aeroflot Bonus programme members to donate their bonus miles to partner charitable organisations, including the Give Life fund, Vladimir Spivakov International Charity Foundation, Russian Assistance Fund operated by the Kommersant Publishing House, and the Life Line fund. The contributed miles are used to carry children with serious health conditions to countries and cities where they can receive their required treatments. In 2017, a total of 6,173 tickets and 135.7 million bonus miles were donated to support the activities of charitable organisations.

Train of Hope

Train of Hope is a charity programme organised to help children deprived of parental care to find new families. In 2017, the Company provided its continued support of the “Children’s Flight” of the Train of Hope initiative by providing free air transportation for the children and prospective adoptive parents.

Orphanage support

Aeroflot continued to support two orphanages during 2017: the Pokrov Orphanage in the Vladimir Region and St Sergius Boarding School in the Sergiev Posad District in the Moscow Region.

Aeroflot organised summer holidays for the Pokrov Orphanage at a Tuapse children’s recreational camp and financed renovation, medical equipment, and an outdoor football pitch.

The Company organised renovations for St Sergius Boarding School’s forge and residential building, and also purchased forge equipment. A total of RUB 6.5 million went towards charitable support for orphanages in 2017.

Targeted aid

In 2017, Aeroflot continued to support the Moscow comprehensive school with primary pilot training by financing the final round of the Student Aviation Olympiad, which took place in May on the airline’s premises.

During the year, the Company provided financial support for the Veteran Club of Top Managers of the Civil Aviation Industry “Opyt Club”, All-Russian Non-Government Organisation Russian Geographical Society, the Saint Petersburg sledge hockey sports club, the Wheelchair Dance Sport Federation, Russian Veterans’ Service Organisation, the Oleg Lundstrem Arts and Culture Foundation, and a children’s hospice. The charitable support was provided in the form of free tickets for the total of RUB 400,000.

The Company also provided information support to the Mercy Charity Organisation and the organisers of the Run for Help charity run for children with cancer.

Aeroflot also helped organise the Drawing Saint Petersburg international children’s drawing competition, which brought together over a thousand schoolchildren from across the CIS.

Support for Great Patriotic War (WWII) Veterans

Annual Great Victory Day campaign

For the celebrations of the 72nd anniversary of Victory Day in 2017, Aeroflot carried veterans of the Great Patriotic War (WWII). From 3 May to 12 June, Aeroflot airline carried more than 4,500 veterans and their accompanying persons free of charge and provided hotel accommodation for over 40 participants. During the campaign, more than 1,600 veterans were accompanied by airport employees who helped throughout the departure process at Sheremetyevo airport. The veterans were also provided priority treatment and special service.

Charitable support to the Great Patriotic War (WWII) veterans from among retired Aeroflot employees

Aeroflot seeks to help veterans beyond anniversaries by providing monthly food packages to its retired employees who took part in the Great Patriotic War (WWII). A total of RUB 9.8 million went towards veteran food packages in 2017.

As part of their social support initiative for senior citizens, Aeroflot and the Veterans Administration organised a Grand Kremlin Palace tour for the eldest civil aviation workers.

Support of passengers in need

Aeroflot runs a programme supporting passengers in urgent need to reach their destinations due to extraordinary circumstances, covering high-demand domestic flights in which the least expensive economy booking classes have been sold out.