Aeroflot resumes Moscow-Sochi flights with A350 jet

Russian flag carrier Aeroflot has resumed passenger flights with its Airbus A350 long-range wide-body aircraft. 

The Aeroflot Airbus A350-900 jet, registered VP-BXP, was spotted above Russian skies on April 10, 2022, when the plane was performing domestic passenger flight SU1134 connecting Moscow and Sochi. According to Flightradar24.com, the aircraft took off from Sheremetyevo International Airport (SVO) at around 7.07 a.m. (UTC) and landed at Sochi International Airport (AER) a few hours later. The A350 then completed a return flight to Moscow after a short break on the same day.  

It has been a while since the last VP-BXP flight, with aircraft flight history indicating that the Aeroflot A350 jet last took flight on the same route on March 9, 2022.  

The VP-BXP is the only active Aeroflot A350-900 aircraft in the fleet. The airline has a further six A350s, which according to data from Planespotters.net, are currently marked as temporarily parked. Data from Planespotters.net also indicates that Aeroflot is preparing its entire A350 fleet for re-registration.  

On April 11, 2022, the European Commission added Aeroflot to a list of 21 Russian airlines that are banned from operating within the European Union following international sanctions on Russia amid its military actions in Ukraine.  

The European Commission added 21 Russian airlines to the EU Air Safety List, banning them from operating within the European Union. The Commission said the move reflected “serious safety concerns” after Russian authorities decided to re-register foreign-owned aircraft without airworthiness certificates.