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Soviet Union [USSR] Aeroflot Operations
In the mid- and late 1980s, Aeroflot operated a diversified
fleet of both jet and turboprop aircraft, designed for either cargo
or passengers and adapted to the geographic and climatic conditions
of the country and to its economic needs. Many of the aircraft had
raised wings to operate from unimproved airstrips, including frozen
marshes or Arctic ice floes, and capable of lifting tall, wide, and
heavy vehicles, including medium and heavy tanks (see table 46,
Appendix A).
For tasks other than conventional passenger and cargo
transportation, Aeroflot had available many types of general and
special-purpose fixed and rotary-wing aircraft. For geological,
weather, and other scientific and exploration missions, Aeroflot
used specially equipped airplanes and helicopters. Medical
assistance and evacuation, especially in remote areas, was provided
by aircraft such as the An-14 and An-28 and by the Ka-26 and Mi-8
helicopters, which were able to operate from most level surfaces.
Various types of agricultural missions were performed by the work
horse, the An-2, and its updated version, the An-3, as well as the
Ka-26 helicopter.
Aeroflot was also responsible for such services as ice patrol
in the Arctic Ocean and escorting of ships through frozen seas, oil
exploration, power line surveillance, and transportation and heavy
lifting support on construction projects. For the latter tasks,
Aeroflot used, in addition to smaller helicopters, the Mi-10 flying
crane, a twin-turbine aircraft with a lifting capacity of 11,000 to
14,000 kilograms, depending on the engines. Hauling of heavy cargo,
including vehicles, was performed by the world's largest
helicopter, the Mi-26. Its unusual eight-blade rotor enabled it to
lift a maximum payload of some twenty tons.
In 1986 Aeroflot served over 3,600 population centers and had
a route network, excluding overlapping routes, that extended
1,156,000 kilometers, of which 185,000 kilometers were
international routes. Aeroflot's share of total freight transported
by all means of transportation was only 0.01 percent, or 3,157,000
tons originated. Nevertheless, it carried 116.1 million passengers
(almost 19 percent of the total passenger-kilometers), of whom 3.4
million were on international flights. The disproportion between
domestic and international air travel reflected not only foreign
travel restrictions imposed on Soviet citizens but underscored the
importance of aircraft as an essential--sometimes the sole--link to
remote cities, towns, and settlements. Thus, in 1986 Siberia, the
Far North, and the Far East, although sparsely populated, accounted
for 26 percent of Aeroflot's cargo and passenger transport.
Aeroflot also connected the Soviet Union with ninety-seven
foreign countries; the main international hub was Moscow's
Sheremetevo Airport. Other cities with international airports
included Leningrad, Kiev, Minsk, Yerevan, Tashkent, Irkutsk, and
Khabarovsk.
Aeroflot's domestic flights frequently have become harrowing
experiences for both Western and Soviet passengers, who have
complained of long waits and indifferent service at ticket offices,
seemingly interminable waiting at airport terminals poorly equipped
with food and toilet facilities, passengers forced to sit in hot
airplane cabins without air conditioning, and indifferent cabin
crews. Shortages of fuel and spare parts were among the major
causes of delayed or canceled flights. According to the head of the
Ministry of Civil Aviation's Main Administration for Aviation Work
and Transport Operations, a shortage of fuel was expected to keep
at least 15 million people from flying on Aeroflot in 1988.
The close relationship between Aeroflot and the Soviet armed
forces was underscored by the fact that the minister of civil
aviation has been a high-ranking general or marshal of the Air
Forces. Aeroflot pilots held reserve commissions in the Air Forces.
The 1,600 medium- and long-range passenger and cargo aircraft of
Aeroflot were also part of the strategic air transport reserve,
ready to provide immediate airlift support to the armed forces.
Indeed, many aircraft in Aeroflot's inventory were of the same
basic design as military aircraft and, even when loaded with bulky
cargo and vehicles, were capable of operating from unimproved
fields. They were characterized by high wings, low fuselages with
cargo/vehicle loading ramps, and landing gear suitable for
unimproved or marshy terrain. Short-range airplanes and helicopters
were available for appropriate military support missions. Civil
aviation also served as a cover for military operations. According
to a Western authority, military aircraft belonging to the Military
Transport Aviation (Voennaia transportnaia aviatsiia) have been
painted in Aeroflot colors for use as food relief and arms or
personnel transports to foreign countries.
Data as of May 1989
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