Babyflot is the informal name given to any airline in the former

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

created in the early 1990s from the dissolution of the Soviet airline monopoly held by

Aeroflot PJSC AeroflotRussian Airlines (russian: ПАО "Аэрофло́т — Росси́йские авиали́нии", ), commonly known as Aeroflot ( or ; russian: Аэрофлот, , ), is the flag carrier and the largest airline of Russia. The ...

, at the time of the

breakup of the Soviet Union The dissolution of the Soviet Union, also negatively connoted as rus, Разва́л Сове́тского Сою́за, r=Razvál Sovétskogo Soyúza, ''Ruining of the Soviet Union''. was the process of internal disintegration within the Sov ...

. The word is a

portmanteau A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of wordsBaby Bells The Regional Bell Operating Companies (RBOC) are the result of '' United States v. AT&T'', the U.S. Department of Justice antitrust suit against the former American Telephone & Telegraph Company (later known as AT&T Corp.). On January 8, 19 ...

). In 1992 Aeroflot was divided into more than 300 regional and other smaller airlines, with many being single-plane operations. International routes were operated separately as Aeroflot—Russian International Airlines (ARIA). Some airline companies created from the old Aeroflot are now flag carriers of independent post-Soviet countries, such as

Uzbekistan Airlines JSC Uzbekistan Airways, operating as ''Uzbekistan Airways'' ( uz, Oʻzbekiston Havo Yoʻllari, ; russian: Узбекские Авиалинии), is the flag carrier airline of Uzbekistan, headquartered in Tashkent. From its hub at Islam Kari ...

Fall of the Babyflots

There were over 800 such airlines at one time with many of them subsequently closing down due to abysmal safety records in 1994. 118 carriers went out of business because fewer passengers could afford to fly in 1995. By 2000, Russia had only about eight federal air carriers and 40 to 45 regional airlines – down sharply from the current 315 carriers, said Ivan Valov, first deputy chief of the Russian Federal Aviation Service. The government began to restrict licensing and certification and bring air-safety standards into compliance with international standards. The "Babyflot" airlines have been blamed for a sharp decline in Russia's air safety. Many of the crashes that occurred have been blamed on poor maintenance and lax controls at many small carriers, which have neglected flight safety in their run for profi

The eight hundred-odd "Babyflot" airlines had such poor safety records that in 1994 the

International Air Transport Association The International Air Transport Association (IATA ) is a trade association of the world's airlines founded in 1945. IATA has been described as a cartel since, in addition to setting technical standards for airlines, IATA also organized tariff ...

took the unusual step of recommending train travel as the least life-threatening form of conveyance in the former Soviet Union.Casino Moscow: A Tale of Greed and Adventure on Capitalism's Wildest Frontier by Matthew Brzezinski, Ch 1

List of babyflots

* 2nd Arkhangelsk United Aviation Division *

2nd Sverdlovsk Air Enterprise JSC "2nd Sverdlovsk Air Enterprise"(russian: ОАО «Второе Свердловское авиапредприятие») was a second level airline based in Yekaterinburg, Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List ...

ARP 410 Airlines ARP 410 Airlines ( uk, Державне підприємство Завод 410 цивільної авіації «Авіакомпанія «ARP 410») (EN:State Enterprise Plant 410 Civil Aviation "Airline 410") was an airline based in Kyiv, ...

* ATRAN * Abakan Avia * Abkhazian Airlines *

Air Kazakhstan Air Kazakhstan, stylised as ''Air Kazakstan'' ( kk, Эйр Қазақстан / ), was an airline of Kazakhstan which later became its national carrier after bankrupt Kazakhstan Airlines was shut down. It was headquartered in Almaty. History ...

Air Kharkov The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing for ...

Air Ukraine Air Ukraine ( uk, Авіалінії України ''Avialiniyi Ukrayiny'') was a state-owned airline from Ukraine, serving as flag carrier of the country from 1992 to 2002. Headquartered in Kyiv, Air Ukraine operated scheduled passenger and c ...

Air Volga LCC Air Volga (russian: ООО «Авиакомпания Во́лга») was an airline headquartered in Volgograd, Russia, operating scheduled passenger flights and holiday charters from its base at Volgograd International Airport. History ...

Arkhangelsk Airlines Smartavia, formerly known as Nordavia (until March 2019), is a Russian low-cost airline with its head office in Arkhangelsk, Russia. It mainly operates scheduled domestic and regional services. Its main bases are Arkhangelsk Airport, Pulkovo Air ...

Baikal Airlines OJSC "Baikal Airlines" (russian: ОАО «Авиакомпания «Байкал») was an airline based in Irkutsk, Russia. It was founded in 1991 and liquidated in 2001. Fleet The Baikal Airlines fleet included Antonov An-24, Antonov An-26 a ...

BAL Bashkirian Airlines BAL – Bashkirian Airlines (russian: «Башкирские авиалинии», ba, «БАЛ Башҡортостан авиалиниялары») was an airline with its head office on the property of Ufa International Airport in Ufa, Ru ...

Belavia Belavia, formally Belavia Belarusian Airlines ( be, ААТ «Авіякампанія «Белавія»; russian: ОАО «Авиакомпания «Белавиа»), is the flag carrier and national airline of Belarus, headquartered in Minsk ...

* Belgorod Air Enterprise * Bravia (Bryansk Air Enterprise) *

Bugulma Air Enterprise OJSC Ak Bars Aero (russian: ОАО «Ак Барс Аэро»), formerly OJSC Bugulma Air Enterprise (russian: ОАО «Бугульминское авиапредприятие»), was an airline with its head office at Bugulma Airport in Bugul ...

Bural Bural was an airline based in Ulan-Ude, Russia. It operated trunk and regional passenger services. Its main base was Ulan-Ude Airport. History The airline was established in 1933 as Buryatia Air Enterprise. It became independent in 1993 and w ...

Chitaavia Chitaavia was an airline based in Chita, Russia. It operated scheduled passenger and cargo services, as well as aerial work, out of its base at Kadala Airport unsing a single aircraft, a Tupolev Tu-154B-2. Founded in 1991, the company was acquire ...

Dagestan Airlines OJSC Dagestan Airlines (russian: ОАО Авиалинии Дагестана) was an airline based at Uytash Airport in Makhachkala, Dagestan, Russia, operating domestic and international scheduled and chartered flights. History The roots o ...

Dalavia JSC Dalavia (russian: ОАО «Дальавиа»), also known as Dalavia — Far Eastern Airways (russian: Дальавиа «Дальневосточные Авиалинии») was an airline based in Khabarovsk, Russia. It operated sch ...

Domodedovo Airlines JSC "Domodedovo Airlines" (russian: ОАО «Авиакомпания «Домодедовские авиалинии» ''OAO Aviakompaniya Domodedovskiye Avialinii'') was an airline with its head office on the grounds of Domodedovo International ...

Donavia JSC "Donavia" (russian: ОАО «Донавиа»), also known as Aeroflot-Don (russian: ОАО «Аэрофлот-Дон») between 2000–2009, was an Aeroflot subsidiary airline based in Rostov-on-Don, Russia. Its main bases were Rostov-on-D ...

Estonian Air Estonian Air was the flag carrier airline of Estonia between 1991 and 2015. Headquartered in Tallinn it operated scheduled services from Tallinn Airport. Prior to its closure, the airline flew from Tallinn to 11 destinations in Europe. From 19 ...

FlyLal flyLAL (also known as Lithuanian Airlines and LAL) was the national airline of Lithuania, based in Vilnius. It operated domestic and international scheduled services from its main base at Vilnius International Airport.Flight International 3 Apri ...

Georgian Airways Georgian Airways ( ka, ჯორჯიან ეარვეისი), formerly Airzena, is the privately owned flag carrier of Georgia, with its headquarters in Tbilisi. Its main base is Tbilisi International Airport.Flight International 3 Ap ...

* Izhavia * Kazakhstan Airlines * Kazan Air Enterprise * Kemerovo Aviation Enterprise *

Komiaviatrans Komiaviatrans (russian: Комиавиатранс) is a regional airline from Russia, which operates mostly domestic regional flights from Komi Republic. Its headquarter located in Syktyvkar. Destinations Komivaiatrans operates scheduled flight ...

KrasAir KrasAir or Krasnoyarsk Airlines (russian: Красноярские авиалинии) was a Russian airline with its head office on the grounds of Krasnoyarsk Yemelyanovo Airport in Krasnoyarsk. It operated scheduled regional and international pa ...

* Kuban Airlines * Latavio * Mavial Magadan Airlines * Nefteyugansk Air Enterprise *

Nikolaevsk-Na-Amure Air Enterprise Nikolayevsk-na-Amure Air Enterprise was an airline based in Nikolayevsk-on-Amur, Khabarovsk Krai, Russia. It operates regional services. Its main base is Nikolayevsk-on-Amur Airport.Flight International 12–18 April 2005 History The airline ...

Novosibirsk Air Enterprise Novosibirsk Air Enterprise was an airline based in Novosibirsk, Russia. It operated passenger and cargo services and aerial surveying work. It was established and started operations in 1929 as Novosibirsk Air Squad. Its main base was Severny Airpor ...

Omskavia Omskavia (Russian:ОмскА́виа) was an airline based in Omsk, Russia. It operated domestic and international scheduled and charter, passenger, cargo and mail services, as well as aircraft maintenance. Its main bases were Tsentralny A ...

Orenburg Airlines Orenburg Airlines or JSC Orenair (russian: Оренбургские авиалинии) was a Russian airline with its head office on the property of Orenburg Tsentralny Airport in Orenburg. It operated domestic passenger services and inclusive ...

Perm Airlines Perm Airlines (Russian: Пермские авиалинии) was an airline based in Perm, Russia. It operated domestic and international scheduled and charter services within Russia and the CIS. Its main base was Bolshoye Savino Airport, Perm. ...

Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky Air Enterprise Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky Air Enterprise is a passenger airline with the main base in Yelizovo airport, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia. The airline serves local routes in Kamchatka Krai. Since the end of 2012 it is officially called Kamchatka A ...

Polar Airlines Polar Airlines (russian: Полярные авиалинии, ''Poljarnýe avialinii'') is an airline based in Yakutsk, Sakha Republic, Russia. It operates scheduled and charter passenger and cargo services. In 2020, it became part of Russia's ...

Pskovavia Pskovavia was a passenger and cargo airline based in Pskov, Russia. It operated international and domestic charter passenger and cargo services as well as regular scheduled flights between Pskov and Moscow. Its main base was Pskov Airport.Flight I ...

Pulkovo Airlines Pulkovo Federal State Unified Aviation Service Company (ФГУАП “Пулково”) was an airline with its head office in Moskovsky District, Saint Petersburg, Russia. It operated the Pulkovo Airport and was 100% state owned. It was the ...

SAT Airlines OJSC "SAT Airlines — Sakhalinskie Aviatrassy" (russian: Сахалинские Авиатрассы), commonly known as SAT Airlines, was an airline based in Sakhalin, Russia. It provided scheduled regional air services in Russia's Far East an ...

Samara Airlines Samara Airlines was an airline based in Samara, Russia. It operated scheduled and charter flights from Samara to destinations in Russia and other countries (mainly within the CIS) and charter flights to Austria, Cyprus, Greece, Israel ...

* Saransk Air Enterprise *

Saravia Saratov Airlines (Saratov Airlines Joint Stock Company, russian: Саратовские авиалинии, ''Saratovskiye avialinii'') was a Russian airline headquartered in Saratov and based at Saratov Tsentralny Airport. The company ceased ...

Siberia Airlines S7 Airlines, legally JSC Siberia Airlines (russian: АО «Авиакомпания "Сибирь"», "АО Aviakompania Sibir"), is an airline headquartered in Ob, Novosibirsk Oblast, Russia, with offices in Moscow. As of 2008, it was Russia's ...

(now

S7 Airlines S7 Airlines, legally JSC Siberia Airlines (russian: АО «Авиакомпания "Сибирь"», "АО Aviakompania Sibir"), is an airline headquartered in Ob, Novosibirsk Oblast, Russia, with offices in Moscow. As of 2008, it was Russia's ...

) *

Tomskavia ) , logo = TomskAvia_logo.png , logo_size = 175 , fleet_size = 22 , destinations = 6 , IATA = - , ICAO = TSK , callsign = TOMSK-AVIA , parent = , company_slogan = , founded = 1 ...

Ural Airlines Ural Airlines (russian: Ура́льские авиали́нии, ''Ural’skiye avialinii'') is an airline based in Yekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia, that operates scheduled and chartered domestic and international flights out of Kolt ...

UTair Aviation Utair (russian: ОАО «Авиакомпания «ЮТэйр») () is a Russian airline with its head office at Khanty-Mansiysk Airport while its hubs are at Surgut International Airport and Vnukovo International Airport. It operates scheduled ...

Uzbekistan Airways JSC Uzbekistan Airways, operating as ''Uzbekistan Airways'' ( uz, Oʻzbekiston Havo Yoʻllari, ; russian: Узбекские Авиалинии), is the flag carrier airline of Uzbekistan, headquartered in Tashkent. From its hub at Islam Kari ...

Vladivostok Air JSC Vladivostok Air (also Vladivostok Avia; russian: link=no, ОАО Владивосток Авиа) was an independent airline with its head office at the airport in Artyom, Primorski Krai, Russia. In 2011, it was reacquired by Aeroflot. D ...

Voronezhavia Voronezhavia was an airline based in Voronezh, Russia. Its flight operations had been taken over by Polet Airlines, Voronezhavia itself manages Voronezh Airport. Code data *IATA Code: ZT *ICAO Code: VRN *Callsign: Voronezhavia Destinations Domes ...

References

External links

Russia Says 'Babyflot' Era is Over
''

Moscow Times ''The Moscow Times'' is an independent English-language and Russian-language online newspaper. It was in print in Russia from 1992 until 2017 and was distributed free of charge at places frequented by English-speaking tourists and expatriates su ...

''. Saturday January 17, 1998.
S7: Bringing Siberia Airlines In From The ColdDK World Reports RUSSIA
{{Airlines of Russia Aeroflot Former Aeroflot divisions Airlines of Russia

Fall of the Babyflots

List of babyflots

References

Further reading

External links