Originally and legally known as Siberia Airlines, S7 was founded in 1992. The airline adopted its current name in 2005. As Russia's second-largest airline next to Aeroflot and ahead of Rossiya, the bright green airline then became a oneworld member in 2010.

Routes and destinations

The airline's largest hub is in Moscow at Domodedovo Airport but it also has hubs in Irkutsk and Novosibirsk. According to its website, S7 flies to approximately 150 destinations. These destinations include:
  • Reykjavik, Iceland
  • Dubai, UAE
  • Phuket, Thailand
  • Tokyo and Osaka, Japan
  • Numerous destinations around the northern Mediterranean and Central Asia
  • And of course, a large number of cities all over Russia
According to the Aviation Tribute, the airline announced just yesterday that it would be launching flights to Milan. The airline plans to start the route this Christmas - December 25th. S7 has been a member of the oneworld alliance for nearly a decade. This allows for easy integration with its partner airlines with benefits such as frequent flyer recognition for passengers from fellow alliance members.

The S7 fleet

"S7 Airlines is a successful, growing Russian airline with a modern fleet of aircraft. All of our flights are operated on aircraft made by the world’s leading manufacturers such as Boeing, Airbus, and Embraer". -S7 Website

The S7's smallest aircraft, the Embraer E170. Photo: Anna Zvereva via Flickr

According to the website, S7 operates a mixed fleet that totals 101 aircraft. All of their aircraft are single-aisle, narrowbody planes. Specific jets include:

  • Embraer E170
  • The Airbus A320 family of jets: A319, A320ceo and neo, A321ceo and neo
  • The Boeing 737-800 and MAX 8

S7 has Russia's only Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, of which there are only two.

According to Russian Aviation Insider, S7 Airlines once had plans to take on a shortened version of the Sukhoi Superjet. In fact, it signed a letter of intent for 50 SSJ75s, with an option for up to 25 more of the 75-seater aircraft. This signing took place in April 2018. However, the plan was scrapped.

“Two weeks ago I was at a meeting dedicated to the development of regional aviation and one of the officials of the industry and trade ministry reported that, due to insufficient demand, they would now not be proceeding with the 75-seat version of the Sukhoi Superjet. Their main customer is Aeroflot, which has ordered only the 100-seat version. At the meeting they called our agreement with Sukhoi Civil Aircraft, [the producer of the SSJ], ‘minuscule’,” -Vladislav Filev, owner, S7 Group

S7 in pop culture

S7 is perhaps most well known among infrequent travelers for its role in the 2016 OK Go music video "Upside Down & Inside Out". Known for its innovative and creative music video productions, the American band filmed their video in an aircraft that flew in such a way that there were periods of weightlessness. Here's what the band leader had to say about it in an interview with RedBull:

"In each flight you have 15 parabolas and in each parabola you have 20 seconds of double gravity, then 50 seconds of weightlessness and few minutes of setting it all up again. So to make it one take, we took eight of these in a row over 40-45 minutes. -Damian Kulash, band member

In the video, S7 flight attendants (or women dressed as them) make an appearance in their uniquely colored turquoise uniforms.

S7 has approximately 60 aircraft from the Airbus A320 family. Masakatsu Ukon via Flickr

Have you flown with S7? We would love to know what your experience was like! Tell us all about it in the comments section.