Hi, dear flight-report members and readers!
In this report I'd like to present a historic review of pre-2022 Aeroflot on a Moscow (SVO) to Belgrade (BEG) flight, operated by an Airbus A330-300 and taken on 17 July 2021, just 7 months before Russia started invasion into Ukraine and cut ties with the Western world (a few days before 24.02.2022 I left Russia for good by coincidence).
Intro
Back then in summer 2021 it was still pandemic time, and the possibilities to travel to Europe were limited. Serbia was one of the relatively hassle-free destinations, but the ticket prices were far from cheap. Nevertheless, I put the trigger. The possibility to fly a widebody on a mid-haul flight was also attractive.
Now flights between Russia and Serbia on a Russian airline are unimaginable, as all the possible trajectories go over EU, whose airspace is closed for Russian airlines for good (as well as Russian airspace for all the Western World's airlines). Though, Air Serbia is allowed to fly between Belgrade and Moscow using the EU airspace (and charges skyrocketed prices for these flights).
In 2021 Aeroflot was quite a prominent airline with very significant widebody fleet: 22 B777-300ERs (including the last built B77W), 7 A350-900s (featuring the new SU livery) with the world's best cabins (after 24.02 the undelivered units went to Turkish Airlines and Air India fleets, and in 2023 I flew one of these TK's "Turkoflot" A359s) and 10 A330-300, featuring the oldest and the most dated cabins in the fleet (in this FR you'll be able to see the stark contrast between SU A333's and "Turkoflot" A359's cabins). Shortly before SU, who pre-24.02 was relying on more A359 deliveries, phased out its oldest widebodies - A332s, with some of them joining the fleets of "junkyard hunters" small airlines, like Air Serbia.
After 24.02.2022 Aeroflot, without lessors' permissions, de-registered its fleet from Bermudian registry and registered it in Russia, de-facto having stolen the leased aircrafts. Later SU managed to more or less settle down with lessors to be able to fly these aircrafts to some international destinations.
The flight, covered in this FR, was my penultimate flight on Aeroflot (with the return BEG-SVO leg 8 days later being the last). Though, 7 February 2022, 12 days before my exodus from Russia, I flew a Rossiya (a SU subsidiary) SSJ-95 on a domestic hop from LED to GOJ, and since then Aeroflot is a "dark horse" (like Mahan Air or Conviasa) for me, considering that I'm unable to visit Russia in any foreseeble future.
Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport (SVO)
Among the world's largest cities Moscow stands out by having FOUR international airport: Sheremetyevo (SVO) - the main gateway of Russia, Vnukovo (VKO), Domodedovo (DME) and Zhukovskiy (ZIA) with first 3 of them located not that far from the city (in this aspect Moscow can be compared only with London). With the opening (before pandemic) of the new domestic (B) and international (C) terminals, SVO, being the SU hub, lured away from DME Qatar Airways, Etihad and some other carriers (continuing to serve Russia after 24.02), becoming a bustling airport, whereas DME (hub of S7, where only EK with A380 flights and some other carriers decided to remain) has fallen into sharp decline. VKO, which is served by multiple Turkish Airlines flights, remains quite a bustling airport. All the three largest Moscow airports are connected with the city by rail link (Aeroexpress), with VKO also connected by a city subway line and DME also connected by a suburban rail line.
Back in summer 2021, most international SU flights in SVO were operated from terminal D, which is already dated by today's standards. It was possible to visit the international gates area of the new terminal C via shuttle train link, but I didn't do it and regret a bit, because it could've been an interesting experience.
And yes, from today it's obvious that there is a sinister symbolism in the Sheremetyevo's IATA code SVO, because Russian authorities and propaganda call the invasion "Special Voennaya (i.e. military) Operation".
The Aircraft
My flight to Belgrade was operated by 2011-built VQ-BQZ (which in 2022 was re-registered as RA-73784). Its layout is 2-class C28_Y268. 6 years earlier I already flew this very aircraft from Khabarovsk to Sheremetyevo. The aircraft was towed to the gate from a remote stand with engines covered.
All the SU A333s are powered with RR Trent 772 engines.
Boarding was via 1L door.
The Business Cabin
The business cabin, located between 1L/R and 2L/R doors, consists of 28 extremely dated angle-lie seats in 2-2-2 layout, which is obsolete even for early-2010 standards, when this aircraft was delivered. But at least these seats have an advantage over modern herringbone / reverse herringbone 1-2-1 seats: an unlimited footspace.
The Economy Cabin
The economy class consist of 268 seats in 2-4-2 layout, distributed between 2 cabins: the front one between 2L/R and 3L/R doors and the rear one between 3L/R and 4L/R doors.
Some views of the front economy cabin.
The Economy Seat
My seat was 34K in the front part of the rear economy cabin. I cannot identify the seat model, but it's very old and obsolete, though having decent padding (I guess it's not a Recaro model). The shocking moment is the seatdwidth: just 17.3" between the armrests in the cabin that can accomodate 18.1" seatwidth in 2-4-2 layout (moreover, the seats in the last rows, where the fuselage narrows, have just 16.9" seatwidth!). What a waste of cabin width! The row pitch is tight, though, not so abysmal as in Edelweiss A343 with horrendous Recaro CL3710 seats.
The seat has leather upholstery, adjustable headrest, obsolete IFE with remote located near the screen (thus the screen is quite small), USB and Ethernet ports, tray table, cup holder and seat pocket.
Inside the seatpocket are safety card, duty-free magazine and inflight magazine, where you can see the SU fleet back in summer 2021 with 2 last A332s still in the fleet.
The IFE menu. The screen is very slow due to it's age and it's better use the remote.
The overhead panel has no airvents. The interior is standard for post-2024 A330s and A340s.
The crew handed 2-pin earplugs. The earplug socket is located in the end face of the armrest.
The Flight
Pushback begins and safety video, reflecting the aesthetics of SU, is played.
Flaps in takeoff configuration.
Takeoff with the new 3rd SVO's runway in sight.
As the aircraft is reaching the initial cruise altitude, it's time to stretch the legs.
Some views of the rear economy cabin (first 3 photos in the gallery) and of the front economy cabin (the last photo).
The crew's jumpseat near 3R door.
The galley.
The lavatories are pretty standard, but with some Russian colorite (look at the signs on the door).
Could you imagine such a flight (MOW-BEG) of a Russian (not Serbian) carrier and such a flight trajectory today? Now it's definitely gone to the history…
Convective activity somewhere over Western Russia or Belarus.
Some more beautiful clouds enroute.
A bit more of SU's Russian aesthetics. The second screenshot represents how Chinese market is important for SU (especially now, heh).
The dinner is served. Just sandwich, apple and chocolate bar plus variety of non-liquor drinks. Needless to say that in pandemic times even Turkish Airlines served junkfood like this even on its longest intercontinental flights, so SU service looked not that bad in comparison back then. The crew were friendly: considering the political "peculiarities" of Russia it's not obvious for foreigners, but it was the fact - the SU crew were much better than most EU crews. The same I discovered later about Chinese crews when flew BUD-PVG on Shanghai Airlines and PVG-AKL on China Eastern.
Passing near large cumulonimbus over Eastern Europe.
Overflying Sava (a tributary of Danube) and mighty Danube during descent into BEG.
Flaps in landing configuration.
Touchdown.
The Economy Cabin After The Flight
A couple of views of the rear economy cabin upon disembarkment…
… and of the front one.
The Aircraft After The Flight
A view of the fuselage and of the portside Trent 772 engine from the jetbridge upon deboarding into the BEG terminal.
Thank you for your attention and see you in the next FRs!
