Aeroflot sees reduction in passenger traffic

The top Russian airline Aeroflot expects its passenger traffic to total 5.5 million people this year, down from 5.7 million in 2001, Yevgeny Bachurin, the company's Commercial Director, reported. He added that Aeroflot expected a net profit of $75 million this year. Aeroflot's net profit totaled 1.37 billion rubles in January-September, up from 540 million rubles in the same period last year.

In 2003, Aeroflot will initiate a change in its corporate style in order to improve its relationship with clients and increase prices, the official said. The style change will include changing the airline's official colors from dark blue and red to a lighter blue, orange and silver, and changing the emblem from the Soviet-era hammer and sickle, the Russia Journal reported.

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