Pulkovo Airlines
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Pulkovo Airlines
Hi all,
Has Pulkovo been taken over by Russian State Transport Company? I've noticed a couple of Pulkovo-coloured 737s at LHR recently, flying under the callsign SDM? I wonder if someone can shed some light on this.
Thanks,
MM
Has Pulkovo been taken over by Russian State Transport Company? I've noticed a couple of Pulkovo-coloured 737s at LHR recently, flying under the callsign SDM? I wonder if someone can shed some light on this.
Thanks,
MM
Join Date: Nov 1999
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In a couple more words:
Pulkovo and Rossiya (the latter is the carrier responsible for state VIP transport) have merged and are flying under the Rossiya name (though confusingly the merged company is still using the Pulkovo website address). According to Wikipedia, SDM is Rossiya's 3-letter designator.
Pulkovo and Rossiya (the latter is the carrier responsible for state VIP transport) have merged and are flying under the Rossiya name (though confusingly the merged company is still using the Pulkovo website address). According to Wikipedia, SDM is Rossiya's 3-letter designator.
The financial status is unclear. Originally Pulkovo were said to be taking over Rossiya but now it looks like the other way round.
Part of the rationale was that Pulkovo was a word little known outside St Petersburg (it is the name of the city's airport) and as Pulkovo Airlines wanted to expand away from their principal base it was desired to buy a company with a more "international" name - although I would have thought that just changing the name would be a little cheaper. Pulkovo have done charters out of Moscow to western Europe for a while now but seem to have little other non-St Petersburg activity.
Seeing as some of the Pulkovo fleet still sport what is basically their Aeroflot livery from more than 10 years ago, it will probably take a while before the new name becomes prominent.
For what it's worth, Aeroflot changed their name, half-heartedly, to Russia International Airlines in the 1990s, then changed back.
Part of the rationale was that Pulkovo was a word little known outside St Petersburg (it is the name of the city's airport) and as Pulkovo Airlines wanted to expand away from their principal base it was desired to buy a company with a more "international" name - although I would have thought that just changing the name would be a little cheaper. Pulkovo have done charters out of Moscow to western Europe for a while now but seem to have little other non-St Petersburg activity.
Seeing as some of the Pulkovo fleet still sport what is basically their Aeroflot livery from more than 10 years ago, it will probably take a while before the new name becomes prominent.
For what it's worth, Aeroflot changed their name, half-heartedly, to Russia International Airlines in the 1990s, then changed back.
