• S7 Aircraft Getty
    S7 Airlines
    IATA/ICAO Code:
    S7/SBI
    Airline Type:
    Full Service Carrier
    Hub(s):
    Moscow Domodedovo Airport
    Year Founded:
    1992
    CEO:
    Vadim Klebanov
    Country:
    Russia

Russia's S7 Airlines has been temporarily suspended from the oneworld alliance. The carrier revealed that the change, effective from April 19th, 2022, was a cooperative agreement made by both parties. The airline's temporary suspension from the alliance directly results from the ongoing sanctions affecting Russia.

Airlines in Russia have faced a tough couple of months. International sanctions mean that many pre-conflict routes are simply not on the cards for such airlines. Where they can operate a route, it often leads to an extensive detour or an additional fuel stop along the way. Now, the sanctions are affecting airline alliance membership.

S7's oneworld membership suspended

S7 Airlines' membership of the oneworld alliance has been suspended for the foreseeable future. The airline is no longer shown in a list of oneworld member airlines on the alliance's website.

A320neo-S7-Airlines-MSN7629---taxiing-1
The carrier aimed to carry up to seven million passengers annually by 2024. Photo: Philippe Masclet - Master Films via Airbus

In a statement posted on its website, S7 Airlines remarked,

"Because of the restrictions on international flights, business cooperation between S7 Airlines and the oneworld alliance became limited. In these circumstances, S7 Airlines and one have decided to suspend their agreement, starting from 19 Apr 2022. The passengers can still enjoy bilateral agreements between S7 Airlines and the partner airlines. However, oneworld benefits will not be available. Acquirement and spending of miles is as usual, with some exceptions described below."

How will passengers be affected?

There are two main ways the temporary S7 suspension from oneworld will impact S7 passengers. The first will unilaterally affect all S7 frequent flyers. Frequent fliers can use their benefits when flying with other member airlines. For example, if an S7 customer had status allowing lounge access, they would be able to access the British Airways lounge flying from T5 at London Heathrow.

This will no longer be possible for S7 status holders. This measure will primarily affect Russian flyers but could affect non-Russians who chose to use the S7 frequent-flyer program for one reason or another. Those with status on other oneworld carriers will also be unable to use such benefits with S7, though again, given the current situation, this will likely affect Russian flyers the most.

MSN10499 A321neo S7 Airlines delivery
Russian passengers will likely be hit the hardest by the airline's membership suspension. Photo: Stefan Kruijer via Airbus

Secondly, passengers will also see issues with earning and spending frequent flyer points on other oneworld airlines. The following airlines have suspended the earning and spending of frequent flyer miles for S7 members,

Who really decided?

While S7 said that the decision to temporarily leave the oneworld alliance was mutual, the alliance's CEO, Rob Gurney, previously said that it wasn't up to the alliance to decide on S7's group membership, according to International Flight Network. The publication reports,

"Gurney stated that airlines should make their own independent decisions on how to approach their relationships with S7 Airlines."

Source: S7 Airlines / IFN