Chechen-Bahrain Airlines. Airline "Grozny-Air Chechen Airlines"

When I was offered to go to Grozny for a couple of days, my first thought was to refuse.
But, upon reflection, curiosity prevailed over prejudice. When will I be able to make a trip like this on my own? Moreover, bloggers and the press are invited by the Minister of Transport of the Chechen Republic himself with the almost complete surrender of the Grozny airport “to be torn to pieces” by journalists, bloggers and photographers. Moreover, in addition, they will show the Grozny-Avia airline, without hiding anything.

But first things first.

We flew out from Moscow in a modest company of seven people - journalists and bloggers. We were scattered in pairs and singly around the economy lounge and sent to Grozny on a regular flight on a Yak-42.
My place is empty next to Max - third row by the window. Lunch time - someone is chewing packed lunches, someone is sleeping, and Martirosyan walks around the cabin with a sociological survey on the topic “How is your flight going?”...

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Everything is quite traditional. We can note the excellent and patient work of the flight attendants - even with a full load. They categorically refused to be photographed, sorry, there will be no photos. They have a right:)

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We appreciated business class already on the way back. Everything is decent, there is room to stretch your legs, hot food to choose from, slippers and blankets. The crew's attitude is courteous. But the condition of the interior, of course, is not excellent. But there is a romantic smell of a Yak that has flown a lot.

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Before the flight, Seryoga installed several gopro cameras in the cockpit. I can't wait to see videos from them.
By the way, I already wrote in more detail about the flight for those interested.

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The flight staff of Grozny Avia is international and professional. Suffice it to say that the airline is led by Khasan Salgiriev, a graduate of the Krasnokutsk Flight School, Honored Pilot of the Russian Federation, “Excellence in Air Transport”, ex-commander of the Tu-154 Gazprom Avia squadron, etc. and so on. In addition, the co-pilot here is Larina Evmurzaeva (), the only Chechen girl at the right helm of the Yak.

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Upon arrival at Grozny airport "Severny" our landing party was met and further escorted Zaur Tsitsaev , ambassador of LiveJournal in the Chechen Republic, head of the external relations department of the Grozny television company, freelance adviser to the Ministry of Transport and Communications of the Chechen Republic.

This hospitable man has to fly around the country a lot. According to him, residents of the Chechen Republic appreciate the advantages of air transport so much that it is sometimes difficult to buy tickets for a flight from Grozny airport, unlike some neighboring republics.

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By the way, if you fly to Grozny, the first president of the Chechen Republic and the current Russian one will almost immediately look at you from the portraits. By the way, Larina Evmurzaeva is walking towards the plane on the right.

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There are a lot of portraits in general. These are located at the exit from the airport.

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They are on the other side - when you enter the airport. And there are several dozen around the city.

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The fleet of Yak-42 "Grozny Avia" is currently dressed in a variety of liveries. This car is decorated with the inscription NKair, which can be deciphered as North Kavkaz air.

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Zelimkhan Veterkhanov, first deputy general director of Grozny Avia, told us that in the near future all aircraft will be painted this way. UTair immediately reminded me, so I suggest leaving the republic’s tricolor.

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And this is how the Grozny “luggage carrier” looks so simple and tasteful. I wonder when it rains or snows, are the suitcases somehow covered?
However, it is literally a stone's throw from the aircraft stands to the airport terminal.

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The only passenger terminal at Grozny airport is clean and bright.
The head of the Federal State Unitary Enterprise Vainahavia (airport operator), Sultan Gambulatov, told our group that during the military campaigns, the operation of the airport was disrupted, the infrastructure was almost completely destroyed, and aircraft were damaged. However, thanks to the active position of the leadership of the Chechen Republic, it was completely restored.

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Everything that passengers see today was restored and put into operation as quickly as possible.
In 2007, 30 years after its first opening, the terminal reopened.

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"Winter Garden" is available to VIP passengers.

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Very soon a separate VIP terminal will open at the Grozny airport.

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The thoughts of Akhmat-Khadzhi Kadyrov are laid out on the external facade of a typical building.
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Adjacent to the statement of A. Kadyrov, to the right of the entrance to the terminal, is the order of his son Ramzan, the current Head of the Chechen Republic.

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When leaving the airport terminal building, you will certainly come across a mosque named after Yusup Sakkazov, one of the comrades-in-arms of the first President of the Chechen Republic, Akhmat-Khadzhi Kadyrov.

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Be sure to stay, it’s too beautiful. And such proximity helped us wake up - morning prayer begins early.

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Yulk , when can we expect a report from you?

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On the right, perpendicular to the terminal, there is a hotel building with the patriotic name "Aeroflot". Actually, you can get into it without going outside directly from the terminal. My little room for three nights - with a living room and a bedroom.

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The second day of our stay began, of course, from the airport.

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Grozny Airport operates around the clock. Sultan Gambulatov is proud of his subordinates. According to him, only well-trained specialists work here. And not only Chechens. “We have Tatars, Russians, Georgians, and Ingush, we have an international community and excellent specialists.

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The authorities of the Chechen Republic are making big plans for the development of their own airline and airport in the city of Grozny - to update the fleet, improve the infrastructure, develop the route network, increase passenger traffic at the expense of residents of neighboring regions, enter new markets and develop cooperation with foreign partners.

The republic does not hide the fact that at first it will not be possible to implement the plan without the help of the federal budget. But any action planned by local authorities is aimed at ultimately making local aviation profitable.

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During the reconstruction, the replacement of lighting equipment and the installation of meteorological equipment were carried out using borrowed funds raised by the Federal State Unitary Enterprise itself. More than 200 million rubles were required for these purposes. The republican budget also allocated money for the development of the terminal.

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To achieve self-sufficiency, the airport needs to service 15-18 takeoff and landing operations daily, S. Gambulatov calculated. Currently, he said, the airport receives an average of 2.5 flights per day. “How to maintain the airport with these funds is a difficult question.”

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Development is planned in several directions.
Firstly, this is the expansion of the international route network. Secondly, Vainahavia is waiting for carriers who are ready to operate domestic flights to destinations other than Moscow. Thirdly, there are projects to develop local aviation and tourism services. In addition, both the airport and the airline expect to significantly increase the number of customers from residents of neighboring regions.

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Now you can fly from Severny Airport to Turkey, Alma-Ata, Astana, Aktau. In the near future, it is planned to open direct flights between Grozny and Bishkek. In addition, if the airport and the airline continue to develop, then the opening of connections with European countries is not far off. In particular France and Germany.

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The carrier pins great hopes on developments at the new base airport - Simferopol. Today, flights between Chechnya and Crimea operate three times a week. Based in Simferopol, it is planned to operate flights to Belgorod, Krasnodar, Stavropol, Kursk, Kazan, Mineralnye Vody, etc. The decision to base it at the Crimean airport was made at the end of April this year; by now the company has already received subsidies for flights to Rostov-on-Don.
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Ramzan Cherkhigov, Minister of Transport and Communications of the Chechen Republic, flies to Moscow for the next round of negotiations on updating the Grozny Air fleet.

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Now Grozny-Avia operates Yak-42 aircraft, some of which are owned, some are leased, and some are leased. Realizing the need to update and replenish the fleet, the company intends to lease two Airbus A319 aircraft aged 6-7 years.

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Initially, the Grozny-Avia fleet was planned to be replenished with An-148 aircraft; later the plans were revised in favor of the domestic new SSJ-100. But neither one nor the other, from an economic point of view, was chosen by representatives of the carrier and the republican Ministry of Transport.

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As for the future of the Yak-42, they are not planning to say goodbye to them yet - they intend to operate the aircraft as long as they are needed, there is enough resource. In addition, the option of converting them into cargo planes is not excluded, if the airline itself needs it or someone expresses a desire to purchase them. Grozny-Avia is ready to invest its own funds in the re-equipment.

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"Grozny Avia" and "RusLine" are two competing friends in the Moscow direction. Capital flights bring the main income to the Chechen carrier.

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According to Sultan Gambulatov, head of the Vainakhavia Federal State Unitary Enterprise, RusLine has been flying from Moscow to Grozny for three years. The airport welcomes any carrier, but large ones most often want to get a well-established metropolitan route. “We manage this area quite well with our airline, but there is no monopoly,” he noted.

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The next day another RusLine plane arrived from Moscow. The "luggage carrier" is the same.

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“Business planes often arrive,” says Sultan Gambulatov. “This, of course, is a strong word, but, by our standards, very often.”
Bombardier Global Express XRS with tail number VP-BNX is an infrequent guest on airlines. Was spotted in 2009 in LA, and in 2010 in Beijing.

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Challenger 850 9H-BVJ arrived as we climbed onto the roof of the terminal.

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"Podzaboring Party": ours in Chechnya.

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They brought some important people.

Recently, due to my duty, I had to go on a business trip to Moscow for advanced training courses. It was necessary to be in the capital of the country very soon, so we had to fly by plane from Grozny airport. I no longer had any other options. Being late for important courses could result in a serious fine, which would hit my family budget. I will immediately warn the meticulous reader that this is not the first time I have flown by plane, and not the first time in Moscow. Therefore, I kindly ask you to refrain from making various kinds of statements addressed to me about my incompetence.

My business trip to Moscow drove me crazy! I mentally swore to myself not to fly with Chechen airlines anymore, cursing all the pilots, flight attendants, engineers, in general, everyone involved in the flights of Grozny planes! But I won’t get ahead of myself ahead of time.

Two days before departure, I went to the airport to purchase a ticket on the spot. By the way, I advise you to do the same, because when purchasing a ticket at the box office in the center of Grozny, you can greatly overpay, while the cashier will assure you that “there is no difference.” There is a difference. I checked.

Booked the day of departure. The saleswoman (or whatever they are called correctly, does anyone know? The cashier maybe? Or the ticket attendant?) asked what flight I wanted to take: at 10-30, 11-30, or 14-something. I chose the first one. "Or maybe at 11:30? Why so early?" - asks again. Again I insisted on my choice, but I thought to myself, why does she care when I fly out? I chalked it all up to Chechen excessive curiosity, and it turns out I was in vain.

In vain, because I realized what she meant only on the day of departure. On the day of departure, I arrived at the airport, waited for the ticket check-in to begin, and took a seat at the gate to board the plane. Time passed (the plane was supposed to take off at 10:30, as you remember), but the door did not open to check passengers. No announcements over the loudspeaker, no warnings. I hear one person on the phone telling someone that the flight was delayed for an hour and takeoff is planned at 11:30. This didn't surprise me. I have long heard about Chechen unpunctuality at airports. And this takes into account that the crew is given time for takeoff with a margin in case of unforeseen situations.

Well, okay, I think I'll stay an hour, but to hell with it. It’s not a big deal, I’ll still be able to get to the courses, because I still had a lot of time left. I am waiting. We started to launch. Checked hand luggage. I have a laptop. They forced me to turn it on. Turned it on. At this time, they thoroughly checked my data on the computer database. Those. checked up and down. I exit through the aisle onto the bus. Now we are waiting for everyone. A UAZ drives along the asphalt at breakneck speed straight towards the security guard's booth, and at the last moment it stops abruptly and pulls slightly to the side. The driver - an employee in a spotted uniform laughs - the joke was a success! I didn’t know that such jokes at the airport didn’t cause gaps in teeth.

We stood there for probably an hour. Tired. Finally, the bus opened its doors and we were taken through these miserable hundred meters to the plane. I'm getting on board. Russian flight attendant. To be honest, I often thought, are there Chechen flight attendants and what would they be like? Well, I just couldn’t wrap my head around the idea that Chechen women would be able to work as flight attendants. It's like Chechen waitresses, which, by the way, I'm not crazy about. It turns out that there are Chechen flight attendants. But I'm getting ahead of myself again.

"Take your seats according to your tickets!" - says the flight attendant. I'm looking for my 14-A place. I see it's busy. I ask the woman if she really has 14-A on her ticket. The answer is yes. Well, I think the ticket was issued incorrectly again (this has already happened in Grozny, I know from friends). The stewardess at the head of the plane asks me to sit on another empty one. Sat down. And then it began!!!

It turns out that there were few passengers on the two flights. Those. on the first, a little more than half, and on the second, that at 11-30, also about half. That is why the airport management decided what? Right! COMBINE TWO FLIGHTS!!! Can you imagine?

COMBINE TWO FLIGHTS!

It was terrible! Moreover, no one told us about this, did not apologize, and did not ask us to be patient! We learned about this when a security officer came on board and put his friend in someone else’s seat. People are confused: this is my place and I have more rights, because I took a ticket for a flight at 11-30, or not, this is my place, because my rights are violated, since I took a ticket for 10-30.

And then it dawned on me why the cashier had suggested the 11-30 flight two days before. Everything fell into place. Even then it was clear that one of the flights could be canceled and combined with another. This is what they do at the Grozny airport!!!

The security officer began to reassure passengers and resolve conflicts that had already arisen, stating that the first plane was reserved for someone who has enormous influence in the Chechen Republic (there is no need to name a name - it’s clear, especially since this is prohibited by the site rules). To which, naturally, he received an even greater share of indignation, since the people realized that the Loch was trying to defuse the situation in this way. Not so. Everyone perceived his words as a lie (which, in principle, was so) and began to continue to be indignant. Eventually the crowd calmed down when the security officers came out. It’s somehow calmer without them.

The only thing that surprised me was that when entering the terminal the passengers of the Chechen plane...they rang the computer again!!! Apparently security officials do not know that at least the Internet exists, and the same database can be installed online on different computers. As a result, there is a hefty queue at the exit, and again indignant passengers.

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Several days in Moscow flew by unnoticed. The advanced training courses were very intensive and even interesting. It's time to fly back home. Again through Vnukovo.

I was in Vnukovo two and a half hours before registration began. I looked at the board with the schedule and indicating the sectors for registration and took a seat at the counter in advance. The employee did not come for a long time. Two and a half hours passed, there was a considerable queue of Chechen passengers, and then suddenly it was announced over the loudspeaker that registration was ending!!! We are shocked! I look at the board, and there is the sign “Registration is completed, boarding is in progress.” But she wasn't there a minute ago!!!

I run to another counter. It turns out registration started about five minutes ago and at a completely different counter! Well, aren't you bastards?! Why do you have to do this with the Chechen flight?

I go through check-in, quickly check in my luggage, pay for it, run to the second floor, go up to the frame, take off my jacket, shoes and belt. It's good that you don't have to go naked! I run to gate number 6, show my boarding pass, and, OH, MIRACLE! - I'm on the bus to my flight. All this took about five minutes. This is how the body mobilizes in extreme situations!!!)))

We arrived at the plane, climbed up the ramp onto the Yak-42 (poor plane, over the last year of Chechen flights it has suffered more than in the 15 years of its past, “non-Chechen” life), and I see a picture that shocks me: the flight attendants are Chechens! Seeing faces that were dear to me at that moment was not my dream. In Moscow, on the street or in a cafe, it’s a different matter. There, talking with a kindred spirit about the capital and the cities is a good thing, interesting and useful. But here, on the plane - NOOOOOOOOO! But there was nothing to do. Mentally wishing myself a safe journey, I sat down in my seat. I expected surprises. And it turns out that it was not in vain.

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The Chechen flight attendant is something. No offense to the girls if they read these lines, but it seemed to me that one of them went out not to work, but on a date. A ton of plaster, blood-scarlet lips, long eyelashes - all this, as I understand it, in case there is a potential groom in the salon. By the way, there were such people. Yes, yes, there were, excuse me, the same lovers of plaster. The flight attendant spent most of her time pleasantries and cooing with precisely such passengers (although she must serve all passengers indiscriminately).

While serving lollipops before takeoff, our flight attendant only said the word “please” for formality. I don’t know whether you will understand me or not, but I can distinguish a real “please” from a fake one, coming not from the soul, but from some other place. It was as if the flight attendant was forcing herself to say the word, and each time it became more and more difficult, she had to make a heroic effort to say the banal “please”.

To be honest, I was lucky - I wanted to sleep. Sleeping on a plane, of course, is not the best idea, but I was lucky again - I REALLY wanted to sleep. This cannot be called a normal sleep. I rather “kimared”, waking up and falling asleep again. But an hour passed in such light sleep, and I noticed with pleasure that it would soon be “lunch.”

Girls started walking along the aisle, offering to drink this or that drink. I was surprised. Usually this is done not in the middle of the journey, but after the first quarter. But I didn’t focus on this because I wanted to sleep. I drank some water and started smoking again. Before the flight attendants had time to serve water to everyone, the following announcement came - now we will eat! Those. Did you drink some water and eat it right away? It turned out not. After the announcement of the meal, about 15 minutes passed. Again, two plastered flight attendants walked around distributing rations.

Ate. To be honest, on the way to Moscow (when there were non-Chechen flight attendants) the diet was more interesting and extensive. For example, there was even a bag of apple juice. But on the contrary - no. But let the Taster figure this out.)))

Again the plasters started to spread throughout the cabin. They offer tea or coffee. Here the Chechen amateur plasterers, having satisfied their desires and filled their stomachs, began to joke and lisp with the plasterers. Naturally, they really like this attention. Forgetting about their work and their duties, the plasters walked past our row (I still don’t understand how they managed to skip a whole row) and did not pour us tea. I had to shout out and point to the empty mug.

Apparently, after the food distribution was completed, the flight attendants themselves began to eat. Because after their meal, passengers had to wait another hour until the empty containers were removed. And there is already landing.

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In general, I don’t know what your feelings are from what I wrote, but believe me, in reality it was more nervous. I experienced terrible nervous experiences, everything infuriated me! I don’t give various little things and details, but believe me, flying through Makhachkala or Magas is more convenient. At least the service is much better.

All of the above would not have been so unpleasant if the management of the Chechen airport had not apologized for this or that omission. So, for example, I would not be so nervous about combining two flights if they said, for example, the following phrase over the speakerphone: “Due to technical problems, we are forced to combine two flights. We apologize for the inconvenience.” That's all!

The head of the Chechen Republic, Ramzan Kadyrov, agreed with a member of the royal family of Bahrain, Fawas al-Khalifa, to create a joint airline. Kadyrov’s plans include modernizing the Grozny airport, updating the aircraft fleet and opening new routes, in particular direct connections with Arab countries.

Chechnya and Bahrain agreed to create a joint airline. About this atyour page The head of the republic, Ramzan Kadyrov, announced on Instagram.

According to Kadyrov, Sheikh Fawas al-Khalifa is a co-owner of the Saudi airline Ara. The creation of a new airline together with him, Kadyrov believes, will help turn Grozny airport into “an international transit hub, update the fleet with new aircraft and open new routes to the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Indonesia.”

It is still unknown what the name of the new airline will be. The agreement, according to Kadyrov, will be signed in the coming days.

By the end of this month, Bahraini specialists will arrive in the republic to install new air navigation equipment at the Grozny airport (at whose expense it will be purchased is not reported). And Chechen specialists, in turn, will go abroad to learn from their experience. Ara specialists intend to help them improve their skills, Kadyrov noted.

The Grozny-Avia airline, created in 2007 on the initiative of the republican leadership, already operates in Chechnya. The airline is approved to operate flights in Russia, the CIS, the Middle East, Europe and Africa, but the list of its routes is currently limited to flights to Moscow and Tyumen.

The company's fleet currently numbers only four Yak-42 aircraft, but management's plans to expand it are already known. Thus, in August it became known that the Chechen government intends to purchase up to eight Sukhoi SuperJet 100 (SSJ-100) aircraft, one of them in a VIP configuration. The first aircraft could be delivered in the first half of 2014.

Now the Grozny airport, which received international status in November 2009, has one runway. At the same time, it is equipped with a modern glide path system and a meteorological system, which allow it to receive Yak-42, Tu-154, Boeing 737 and Boeing 757 aircraft.

At the beginning of the year, the leadership of Chechnya began seriously thinking about a radical renovation of the airport in the capital of the republic and the development of a local airline.

In particular, in March, Ramzan Kadyrov stated that the potential of the capital’s air harbor is significant; the procedure for including the Grozny air terminal in the federal target program “Development of the transport system of the Russian Federation” will soon be completed.

At the same time, he noted that the conclusion of the Russian Ministry of Transport had already been sent to the Ministry of Finance, and sources of financing for the airport reconstruction project were now being determined.

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are on the list of some of the most popular destinations among residents of Chechnya.

Every year, thousands of Muslims from the Chechen Republic make the Hajj to Saudi Arabia. In October 2011 alone, Grozny airport sent more than 20 flights carrying pilgrims to Mecca for the Hajj. In this sense, the new airline has good prospects for development.

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The airline "Grozny Avia" was established in 2007 as a company providing services in passenger transportation and cargo transportation, based in Grozny.

Brief history of the development and formation of the company

The airline "Grozny Avia" was founded back in 2007 by the Russian Foundation of A. Kadyrov. The company's aircraft made its first commercial flight on July 16, 2007. It is worth noting that this enterprise was organized from scratch. During its existence, its own professionals were trained, namely: 10 pilots, 23 flight attendants, 4 flight mechanics and about 15 aviation engineering employees. Of course, at the stage of its formation, the airline underwent comprehensive testing and certification taking into account international standards and regulations for air transportation. At the beginning of its journey, management attracted specialists from different regions to cooperate, who made a great contribution to development.

The number of employees is constantly increasing to provide the highest quality service on all routes. Thus, in 2011 the number of employees reached 120 people.

The company has been a joint-stock company since 2011, 51% of which belongs to the Ministry of Transport of the Chechen Republic. Since 2012, a reorganization took place and Grozny Avia received the status of an open joint stock company. The general director of the enterprise is H.B. Salgiriev.

The main task of the company is to transport passengers, mail, cargo on both international and domestic flights, for this the airline has the appropriate licenses. There is also the possibility of ordering charter flights. Grozny Avia has sufficient experience in this industry to ensure maximum comfort and safety of all passengers on board its aircraft.

Recently, corporate programs have been launched that allow using the company’s services in the most profitable and convenient way for clients. There is also a simplified procedure for purchasing tickets for flights without intermediaries, which allows passengers to save money.

During the entire period of work on the domestic market, only one dangerous case was recorded. In November 2011, a Grozny Avia plane flying from Grozny to Istanbul was forced to return to the airport because one of the engines failed after takeoff. As a result, none of the 112 passengers on board were injured. All this can indicate the reliability of the company and the professionalism of its employees.

As of the end of 2013, the size of the air fleet of the Grozny Avia company is 6 aircraft, of which:

5 Yak-42D aircraft

1 Yak-42 aircraft.

The air carrier operates regular flights to Moscow, Nalchik and Kyiv. Among other things, the company operates charter flights to various CIS countries, Western European countries, Turkey, etc.

From the second quarter of 2014, the air carrier Grozny Avia was officially registered at the Simferopol airport, becoming the official airline of the Crimean Peninsula.

In the near future, the airline plans to purchase additional aircraft and expand its route network.

Basic data:

Airline country - Russia;

Operates charter and regular flights from Grozny.

Year of appearance: 2007;

IATA airline code: ZG;

Airline internal code: GG;