Transaero Airlines
Russia · TRANSOVIET · Active
Airline Identity
History
Transaero Airlines was incorporated on 28 December 1990 and became the first privately owned company approved to operate scheduled passenger flights in the Soviet Union, commencing charter services in November 1991 and scheduled flights in January 1993. Over the following two decades it grew into Russia's second-largest airline after Aeroflot, building a wide-body long-haul fleet and an extensive domestic and international network out of Moscow. The airline accumulated roughly 3.9 billion euros in debt due to the rouble's devaluation, a shrinking outbound tourism market, and aggressive fleet expansion, and a proposed rescue merger with Aeroflot (for a symbolic one ruble) collapsed in 2015. Transaero filed for bankruptcy on 1 October 2015, had its operating license revoked by Russian authorities on 25 October 2015, and flew its final flight that same day, ending 25 years of operations with no fatal accidents in its history.
Current Operations
Transaero Airlines no longer exists; it ceased all flight operations in October 2015 and was declared formally bankrupt through Russian court proceedings that concluded in 2017. Its aircraft were dispersed to storage and other carriers, with Aeroflot absorbing 34 of its leased aircraft and much of its route network and market share in the aftermath. The IATA code UN is therefore not associated with any active passenger operations today.
Last verified 2026-08-22· Source: airline public disclosures, company press releases & aviation-industry reporting.