9/08/2009: KD Avia Operates Only Moscow and Kyiv Flights

On September 8, 2009, Russian carrier KD Avia was still flying, but only on a skeletal schedule from Kaliningrad's Khrabrovo Airport (KGD). The airline planned three round trips to Moscow and one to Kyiv that Tuesday, with no other domestic or international services operating, an airport representative told Interfax.

The limited schedule followed several days of disruption. On September 1, Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency, Rosaviatsiya, said KD Avia had warned that it might stop operating because of debts to aircraft lessors, fuel suppliers, air navigation providers, and airports in Russia and Europe. The agency formed a response center and prepared other Russian airlines to carry affected passengers.

By September 5, KD Avia had suspended almost all of its flights. Rosaviatsiya spokesman Sergey Izvolsky said airports had refused to release some of the carrier's aircraft because of unpaid debts. Other airlines were already transporting its passengers.

From Kaliningradavia to KD Avia

KD Avia was formed in September 2002 from the bankrupt state enterprise Kaliningradavia and based at Khrabrovo, according to a 2008 company profile published by *Kommersant*. Its network included Russian cities and destinations elsewhere in Europe.

The carrier reported 28 destinations and a fleet of 17 Boeing 737-300s in October 2008. It said it had transported 943,500 passengers and 1,700 metric tons of cargo during the first eight months of that year.

Certificate annulled

Rosaviatsiya had decided on September 4 to annul KD Avia's operator certificate effective September 14. When the annulment took effect, Kommersant reported that the airline's broad operational collapse had occurred on September 5, while other carriers transported about 5,000 of its passengers. KD Avia's management had also initiated bankruptcy proceedings.

The sequence matters: September 8 was not the day every KD Avia flight ended. It was a day in the airline's final week when only its Moscow and Kyiv links were still operating.

Historical photo: KD Avia Boeing 737-300 EI-DJS on August 9, 2008. Photo: Gennady Misko, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.