Fleet and operations, GOV-02
Eight aircraft, and no spare.
The fleet is matched to route demand and to the winter operating conditions of the North Caucasus. It carries no spare airframe: an aircraft on ground removes a line from the schedule rather than being absorbed by it, which is a deliberate position and not an oversight.
- E195
- The flex aircraft. It carries the Russia trunk, Turkey and the Middle East, and any feeder rotation that fits inside its turnaround at base. The Advanced Range variant reaches every Middle East point with full operational margin.
- E175
- The core of the domestic and regional feeder tier, in a mixed Standard and Long Range configuration matched to its shorter assignments. It also carries Kayseri, Damascus and the Nalchik diaspora rotation to Istanbul.
- DHC-6
- Nineteen seats and short-field performance, chosen on its cold-weather record. Being unpressurised it flies only routes that stay on one side of the main Caucasus divide, which is the coastal shuttle and nothing else. It is the one type the Airline buys outright.
The E175 and the E195 share enough commonality that crews move between them on differences training rather than a full type rating, which keeps training and spares simple across the jet fleet.
The aircraft
Named individually after historic Circassian tribes| Registration | Type | Variant | Configuration | Max range | Turnaround |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RA-08801 | E195 | AR | 12C 100Y | 2200 nm | 40 min |
| RA-08802 | E195 | AR | 12C 100Y | 2200 nm | 40 min |
| RA-08803 | E175 | STD / LR | 8C 68Y | 1650-2000 nm | 30 min |
| RA-08804 | E175 | STD / LR | 8C 68Y | 1650-2000 nm | 30 min |
| RA-08805 | DHC-6 | 400 | 19Y | 800 nm | 20 min |
| RA-08806 | DHC-6 | 400 | 19Y | 800 nm | 20 min |
| RA-08807 | DHC-6 | 400 | 19Y | 800 nm | 20 min |
| RA-08808 | DHC-6 | 400 | 19Y | 800 nm | 20 min |
The first aircraft is named Ubykh, for the people whose distinct identity and language did not survive the 1864 exile. Later aircraft draw on the remaining historic tribes, among them Kabardian, Beslanay, Abzakh, Shapsugh, Temirgoi and Bzhedugh. Names run with the aircraft and not with the type.
What the fleet actually flies
Measured against 10:30 a day for the jets, 8:00 for the DHC-6| Line | Type | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | Weekly | Utilisation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jet line 1 | E195 | 8:10 | 10:10 | 8:10 | 10:10 | 8:10 | 10:10 | 9:20 | 64:20 | 87% |
| Jet line 2 | E195 | 8:20 | 8:40 | 8:20 | 9:00 | 9:20 | 8:40 | 9:00 | 61:20 | 83% |
| Jet line 3 | E175 | 9:10 | 9:30 | 9:10 | 9:00 | 9:10 | 9:30 | 6:50 | 62:20 | 84% |
| Jet line 4 | E175 | 8:10 | 7:00 | 8:10 | 9:10 | 8:10 | 10:10 | 9:10 | 60:00 | 81% |
| Sukhum line A | DHC-6 | 5:00 | 5:00 | 5:00 | 5:00 | 5:00 | 5:00 | 5:00 | 35:00 | 62% |
| Sukhum line B | DHC-6 | 5:00 | 5:00 | 5:00 | 5:00 | 5:00 | 5:00 | 5:00 | 35:00 | 62% |
| Krasnodar line A | DHC-6 | 6:15 | 6:15 | 6:15 | 6:15 | 6:15 | 6:15 | 6:15 | 43:45 | 78% |
| Krasnodar line B | DHC-6 | 6:15 | 6:15 | 6:15 | 6:15 | 6:15 | 6:15 | 6:15 | 43:45 | 78% |
Every jet line runs above 80 per cent. Jet line 1 carries the Krasnodar to Nalchik to Moscow rotation on three days and reaches 10 hours 10 of block on each of them, against 10 hours 30 available. That line has no slack on those days, and any delay to it propagates through the whole operating day.
Who is on board
| Type | Seats | Flight crew | Cabin crew | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DHC-6 Series 400 | 19 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| E175 | 76 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| E195 | 112 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
Every aircraft is flown by two pilots. The DHC-6 Series 400 holds certification for single-pilot operation and the Airline does not use it: scheduled service under instrument flight rules, over water on the coastal routing and across the Western Caucasus in winter, is flown by two pilots on every type.