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Siberia Airlines (Russian:Авиакомпания "Сибирь", in English it is also referred to as "Sibir") is a Russian airline with major hubs in Domodedovo International Airport (Moscow), Tolmachevo Airport (Novosibirsk), and Irkutsk International Airport (Irkutsk). It also has branches in Barnaul, Kemerovo, Novokuznetsk, and Tomsk. The company is a major player on flights from Russia to Germany.
As of 2003 it is the second-largest airline in Russia. It ranked second in Russian international flights market and first in the domestic market. The airline carried 3.4 million of passengers in 2003.
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Siberia airlines was created in 1992 in Novosibirsk, Russia. It is a successor of former Tolmachevo United Avia Squadron (Russian: Толмачевский объединенный авиаотряд), which was a local subsidiary of soviet Aeroflot.
Tolmachevo United Avia Squadron dates back to 12 July 1957, when it accomplished the first flight from Moscow to Novosibirsk. The first international flight was carried in 1991 to Harbin, China. In 1994 the airline joined IATA. Also that year it became an open joint stock company and had started first international route (as Siberia Airlines) from Novosibirsk to Frankfurt, Germany.
In the first half of the 1990s Siberia Airlines was a medium-size regional airline like many others created from the former Aeroflot. It was mainly focused on domestic flights from Novosibirsk. However, by the end of the decade the airline started aggressive expansion in Russian domestic market.
Siberia Airlines has grown mainly through a series of mergers with smaller regional airlines. In 1999 it opened Moscow branch in Vnukovo International Airport. The charter flights program from Sheremetyevo International Airport followed in 2000. Also the company created a hub in Irkutsk.
In the start of the 2000s the airline also acquired one of the major Moscow-market players - Vnukovo Airlines, based in Vnukovo International Airport. Thus, in 2001 it became the second-largest carrier in Russia.
Since 2002 all Moscow flights are operated from Domodedovo International Airport, which is the biggest hub of the company so far. The company started a close partnership with Armenian airline Armavia. Siberia Airlines crews operate Armavia A320s on flights from Erevan to Moscow and Novosibirsk.
Most of the planes in Siberia Ailines fleet are Russian-made. The first western aircraft - Airbus A310 - was acquired in 2004. In total Sibir has four types of planes:
During 1990s the airline also used Antonov An-24, Antonov An-26 and Tupolev Tu-134. As these planes retired Siberia Airlens is facing the problem to find new regional jets for the fleet. In summer 2004 during Farnborough Air Show the company signed a memorandum of intention to purchase 50 of new Sukhoi Russian Regional Jet with first plane to be delivered in 2007. The final contract is to be signed later this year. It would make Siberia Airlines both lunching the largest customer of these planes so far.
Siberia Airlines uses the IATA designator code S7.
Siberia Airlines uses the ICAO designator code SBI.
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