RuAviation

FUN&SUN Airlines started operating flights to Antalya and Bodrum on a Red Wings SSJ100 aircraft with a 52-passenger Business Class-only cabin configuration. The programme of flights from Vnukovo Airport is implemented within the framework of the Premium project, aimed at serving passengers of the highest segment.

On the first flight, which took place on 18 May 2024, the aircraft was 100 per cent full. At check-in, a gala event was held at the business jet passenger check-in counters at Vnukovo Airport.

The flight programme to Rixos hotels on the Anatolian coast of the Mediterranean Sea is designed for the period from May 18 to October 12. Flights on the route Vnukovo (Moscow) – Antalya will be operated on Wednesdays and Saturdays. From 3 June to 13 October an additional flight on Sundays will be introduced. Superjet 100 flight WZ2211 to Antalya will depart from Moscow at 11:00 with arrival in Antalya at 15:40. Back to Vnukovo, flight WZ2212 will depart Antalya at 16:30, and land in Vnukovo at 21:30.

Flights will also operate from Vnukovo to Milas-Bodrum Airport on Tuesdays 25 June, 16 July, 6 August, 27 August, 17 September, 8 October and on Fridays 14 June, 5 July, 26 July, 16 August, 6 September, 27 September. Flight WZ2215 departs Moscow at 08:00 and arrives in Bodrum at 13:00. The return departure from Bodrum of flight WZ2216 is scheduled for 14:00 with arrival in Moscow at 19:00.

The time in Antalya and Bodrum coincides with Moscow time. Free baggage is 25kg, hand luggage is 5kg per person.

In the SSJ100 luxury aircraft tourists are offered comfortable business class seats, a variety of meals, soft and alcoholic drinks, tablets with multimedia capabilities, plaids, gift sets including slippers, sleep masks, cosmetics and children’s sets. The cost of the tour package for 7 nights on the system “ultra all inclusive” with departure from Moscow airport to the 5-star hotel Rixos Sungate for 307 thousand rubles. The cost of a package for 11 nights “all inclusive” in the hotel Resort Be Premium Bodrum on 14 June is from 633 thousand rubles for two people.

Red Wings Airlines was the first airline in Russia to launch a programme of premium flights, using a domestic passenger aircraft in business version. The company believes that reducing the flight load on such aircraft will allow them to be used to the fullest extent for international traffic, reducing flight hours and preserving the revenue part of the operation. The Superjet 100 has carved out a new niche in the Russian market, where demand remains high, especially after the imposition of sanctions against Russia and its citizens by Western countries. Russia currently has aircraft in economy, economy/business and vip configurations, but no aircraft with a full business class configuration has ever been produced in Russia.

The SSJ100 business jet with registration number RA-89007 (factory number 95015) was manufactured at the Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aviation Plant in December 2011. The aircraft made its first flight on 10 December 2011 and has been in service with Aeroflot since 23 January 2012. Under the terms of the contract, the aircraft was handed over to the carrier with further replacement by a later aircraft due to the fact that the aircraft did not meet Aeroflot’s requirements.

The Superjet 100 aircraft is the most suitable for routes up to 3000 kilometres in terms of price and quality. The SSJ100 has a number of advantages over larger and heavier aircraft, it has a competitive leasing rate, and the possible cabin configurations are best suited for such flights. The aircraft offers low airport charges due to a 10-25% lower take-off weight than its competitors. Meets current and future standards for noise and CO2 emissions. The cabin provides maximum passenger comfort, with spacious luggage shelves and a large luggage compartment.

“It’s good to see that the Superjet all-business is finding its niche,” Oleg Evdokimov, president of MelonAero, who is well aware of the qualities and advantages of the SSJ100, shared with the Russian Aviation website. – We actively contributed to the emergence of this configuration, we planned to use it even in the interests of the Slovenian company Adria. It is clear that in time this version of the aircraft will be used in more luxurious destinations than Antalya, we hope that the new version of the aircraft with unique economy will get the long-awaited ETOPS 180 and in the version with increased range will fly to Maldives and Seychelles,” he said, adding: “Our congratulations to Red Wings!”.

At the end of 2023, Red Wings Airlines organised a non-stop flight on the Moscow – Murmansk – Arkhangelsk – Moscow RA-89007 route to observe the northern lights. On the night of 7-8 December, a Superjet with 52 passengers on board headed to Murmansk to give them the opportunity to observe and capture this natural phenomenon directly from the plane at an altitude of 10,000 metres.