Summary
- Rossiya has nine passenger Boeing 747-400s, now more than any other carrier
- While it last used the type on passenger flights a year ago, one is now flying from Moscow to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk
- Its Boeing 747-400s are among the highest-density versions left
Part of the Aeroflot Group, Rossiya is again using the Boeing 747-400. It is temporarily being deployed between Moscow and the Far East city of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. This article has nothing to do with politics or the Ukraine War but everything to do with aviation and an old and rare type.
The 747 to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk
Located 4,140 miles (6,662 km) apart, Rossiya presently has a 10-weekly service between Moscow Sheremetyevo and the Far East Russian city, which is situated across the water from Japan’s Hokkaido. It coexists with Aeroflot’s own 18-weekly operation.
Rossiya’s flights typically use the two-class, 372-seat Boeing 777-300 (non-ER) and the two-class, 457-seat 777-300ER. But the 747 was deployed on the August 30th from Moscow (September 1st back), and will also be used on the 31st out (and the 1st back).
SU6273 leaves Moscow at 23:05 and arrives in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk at 15:30+1 local. Returning, SU6274 departs at 18:00 and arrives back at 18:45 local. The image below shows the 747’s first departure to the Far East.
The use of the quadjet seems to coincide with higher demand due to Russian holidays. However, it seems somewhat odd that a type that has not carried passengers for nearly a year (based on Flightradar24 data) is brought back just for two roundtrip services. Subject to parts, are they to reenter regular service? This is unknown.
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522-seat RA-73286 flew on the 30th
According to Flightradar24, 22.7-year-old RA-73286 (seen in the picture below) was deployed on the first roundtrip (30th out, 31st back). When writing, it is too soon to tell if it will operate the second roundtrip, but it probably will. I will update this article when it is confirmed.
Delivered to Japan Airlines in 2000 and previously with Russia’s defunct Transaero, RA-73286 is in a high-density, two-class configuration. According to the airline’s own information and ch-aviation.com, RA-73286 has 522 seats: 510 in economy and 22 in business.
Among the highest-density 747-400s left
Obviously, Rossiya is one of the last few scheduled/charter operators of passenger 747-400s, and the nature of where they were used – very leisure-demand routes – dictated so many seats.
Photo: Fasttailwind I Shutterstock.
In comparison, other existing 747-400 users have far fewer seats. For example, Air China’s aircraft have 344, Lufthansa’s has 371, and there are 398 seats in Asiana’s sole remaining example.
Others carriers closer to Rossiya for capacity
Mahan Air, Saudia, and Atlas Air aircraft come pretty close to Rossiya for capacity. Mahan Air has one active 747-400 (EP-MEE) with 462 seats, mainly flying between Tehran and Dubai, while Saudia uses 465-seat aircraft leased from Air Atlanta Europe for Umrah/Hajj reasons.
According to ch-aviation.com, Atlas Air has up to 455-seat 747s used by the USAF, although the carrier’s own site says they have up to 528. If it is indeed the latter, it surpasses Rossiya’s 747-400 capacity.
Otherwise, just one operator has more seats: Nigeria’s Max Air. Acquired to fly to Saudi Arabia for pilgrimage reasons, it has two examples (5N-HMM and 5N-ADM) each with 532 seats. However, Flightradar24 shows that they last flew in July 2023. HMM indeed.
What do you make of it all? Let us know in the comments.
Sources of information: Flightradar24, Special Flights Enthusiasts, Rossiya’s website, Atlas Air’s website, ch-aviation.com, Cirium.