# Nordwind Airlines

Nordwind Airlines, LLC (Russian: ООО «Северный ветер», romanized: Severný veter) is a Russian leisure airline. The company is headquartered in Moscow, and its hub is at Sheremetyevo International Airport. Nordwind Airlines primarily operates service between airports in Russia and holiday destinations around Europe and Asia. It is banned from flying in the European Union.

## History

Nordwind Airlines was founded in August 2008 by the Russian and Turkish branches of tour operator Pegas Touristik and initially operated three Boeing 757-200s.
The number of passengers transported was as follows:
| Year | Passengers |
| 2008 | 20,000 |
| 2009 | 555,000 |
| 2010 | 1.2 million |
| 2011 | 1.7 million |
| 2012 | 2.2 million |
| 2013 | 3.4 million |
| 2014 | 4.4 million |
| 2015 | 2.6 million |
| 2016 | 1.7 million |
| 2017 | 3.5 million |
| 2018 | 4.9 million |
| 2019 | 5.5 million |
| 2020 | 2.9 million |
| 2021 | 5.9 million |
On April 29, 2013, two surface-to-air missiles were fired by unknown forces in Syria at a Nordwind Airlines jet flying from Sharm El Sheikh to Kazan. The pilots took evasive action and the plane continued onto Kazan undamaged.
In 2017, the airline acquired two used A330s.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Nordwind transported approximately 7.4 tons of gold with a market value over $300 million from Venezuela to a refinery near the airport in Entebbe, Uganda. These March 2019 shipments allegedly expose a global underground economy the United States government suspects helps Nicolás Maduro stay in power in Venezuela.
Following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine Nordwind suspended all international flights. A number of leased aircraft, located abroad when the invasion took place have been returned to the lessors. The US Commerce Department, who had previously sanctioned US manufactured aircraft, extended sanctions to the European manufactured Airbus aircraft in Nordwind's fleet in August 2022. Sanctions have also banned Nordwind receiving spare parts for their planes.

## Destinations

In 2021 Nordwind serves 98 destinations in 28 countries including nine countries and 23 cities in Europe, eight countries and 12 cities in the Middle East and Africa, four countries and four cities in South America, and six countries and 14 cities in Asia.
| Country | City | Airport | Notes |
| Albania | Tirana | Tirana International Airport Nënë Tereza | Terminated |
| Armenia | Yerevan | Zvartnots International Airport | Terminated |
| Azerbaijan | Baku | Heydar Aliyev International Airport | Terminated |
| Azerbaijan | Lankaran | Lankaran Airport | Terminated |
| Belarus | Minsk | Minsk National Airport | Terminated |
| Cuba | Cayo Coco | Cayo Coco Airport | Seasonal Charter |
| Cuba | Holguín | Frank País Airport | Terminated |
| Cuba | Santa Clara | Abel Santamaría Airport | Terminated |
| Cuba | Varadero | Juan Gualberto Gómez Airport | Seasonal Charter |
| Cuba | Camaguey | Ignacio Agramonte Airport | Terminated |
| Cyprus | Larnaca | Larnaca International Airport | Terminated |
| Dominican Republic | Puerto Plata | Gregorio Luperón International Airport | Terminated |
| Dominican Republic | Punta Cana | Punta Cana International Airport | Terminated |
| Dominican Republic | Samaná | Samaná El Catey International Airport | Terminated |
| Dominican Republic | Santo Domingo | Las Américas International Airport | Terminated |
| Egypt | Hurghada | Hurghada International Airport | Terminated |
| Egypt | Sharm El Sheikh | Sharm El Sheikh International Airport | Terminated |
| Germany | Berlin | Berlin Brandenburg Airport | Terminated |
| Germany | Düsseldorf | Düsseldorf Airport | Terminated |
| Germany | Hanover | Hannover Airport | Terminated |
| Greece | Athens | Athens International Airport | Terminated |
| Greece | Heraklion | Heraklion International Airport | Terminated |
| Greece | Thessaloniki | Thessaloniki Airport | Terminated |
| India | Goa | Dabolim Airport | Terminated |
| Iran | Tehran | Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport | Terminated |
| Jamaica | Montego Bay | Sangster International Airport | Terminated |
| Jordan | Aqaba | King Hussein International Airport | Terminated |
| Kazakhstan | Almaty | Almaty International Airport | Terminated |
| Kyrgyzstan | Bishkek | Manas International Airport | |
| Maldives | Male | Velana International Airport | Terminated |
| Mexico | Cancún | Cancún International Airport | Terminated |
| North Macedonia | Skopje | Skopje International Airport | Terminated |
| Russia | Blagoveshchensk | Ignatyevo Airport | |
| Russia | Cheboksary | Cheboksary International Airport | |
| Russia | Chelyabinsk | Chelyabinsk Airport | |
| Russia | Irkutsk | International Airport Irkutsk | |
| Russia | Ivanovo | Ivanovo Airport | Seasonal |
| Russia | Kaliningrad | Khrabrovo Airport | Focus city |
| Russia | Kazan | Ğabdulla Tuqay Kazan International Airport | Hub |
| Russia | Khabarovsk | Khabarovsk Novy Airport | |
| Russia | Kirov | Pobedilovo Airport | Seasonal |
| Russia | Krasnodar | Krasnodar International Airport | Terminated |
| Russia | Krasnoyarsk | Krasnoyarsk International Airport | |
| Russia | Magnitogorsk | Magnitogorsk International Airport | |
| Russia | Makhachkala | Uytash Airport | Focus city |
| Russia | Mineralnye Vody | Mineralnye Vody Airport | |
| Russia | Moscow | Sheremetyevo International Airport | Hub |
| Russia | Nizhnekamsk | Begishevo Airport | |
| Russia | Nizhnevartovsk | Nizhnevartovsk Airport | Terminated |
| Russia | Novosibirsk | Tolmachevo Airport | |
| Russia | Omsk | Omsk Tsentralny Airport | |
| Russia | Orenburg | Orenburg Tsentralny Airport | |
| Russia | Perm | Perm International Airport | |
| Russia | Rostov-on-Don | Platov International Airport | Terminated |
| Russia | Saint Petersburg | Pulkovo Airport | Focus city |
| Russia | Samara | Kurumoch International Airport | |
| Russia | Saransk | Saransk Airport | Terminated |
| Russia | Saratov | Saratov Gagarin Airport | |
| Russia | Sochi | Adler-Sochi International Airport | Focus city |
| Russia | Surgut | Surgut International Airport | Begins 28 May 2025 |
| Russia | Syktyvkar | Syktyvkar Airport | Terminated |
| Russia | Ufa | Mustai Karim Ufa International Airport | Focus city |
| Russia | Ulyanovsk | Ulyanovsk Baratayevka Airport | |
| Russia | Volgograd | Volgograd International Airport | |
| Russia | Yakutsk | Yakutsk Airport | |
| Russia | Yekaterinburg | Koltsovo International Airport | |
| Russia / Ukraine | Simferopol | Simferopol International Airport | Terminated |
| Saudi Arabia | Jeddah | King Abdulaziz International Airport | Terminated |
| Serbia | Belgrade | Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport | Terminated |
| Spain | Barcelona | Barcelona–El Prat Airport | Terminated |
| Spain | Girona | Girona Airport | Terminated |
| Spain | Palma de Mallorca | Palma de Mallorca Airport | Terminated |
| Spain | Reus | Reus Airport | Terminated |
| Tanzania | Zanzibar | Abeid Amani Karume International Airport | Terminated |
| Tajikistan | Bokhtar | Bokhtar International Airport | |
| Tajikistan | Dushanbe | Dushanbe International Airport | |
| Tajikistan | Khujand | Khujand Airport | |
| Thailand | Bangkok | Suvarnabhumi Airport | Terminated |
| Thailand | Krabi | Krabi International Airport | Terminated |
| Thailand | Pattaya | U-Tapao International Airport | Terminated |
| Thailand | Phuket | Phuket International Airport | Seasonal Charter |
| Thailand | Surat Thani | Surat Thani International Airport | Terminated |
| Tunisia | Djerba | Djerba–Zarzis International Airport | Terminated |
| Tunisia | Monastir | Monastir Habib Bourguiba International Airport | Terminated |
| Turkey | Antalya | Antalya Airport | Terminated |
| Turkey | Dalaman | Dalaman Airport | Terminated |
| Turkey | İzmir | İzmir Adnan Menderes Airport | Terminated |
| Turkey | Istanbul | Istanbul Airport | Terminated |
| United Arab Emirates | Dubai | Al Maktoum International Airport | Terminated |
| United Arab Emirates | Sharjah | Sharjah International Airport | Terminated |
| Uzbekistan | Fergana | Fergana International Airport | Terminated |
| Uzbekistan | Namangan | Namangan Airport | Terminated |
| Uzbekistan | Qarshi | Qarshi Airport | Terminated |
| Uzbekistan | Samarqand | Samarqand International Airport | Terminated |
| Uzbekistan | Urgench | Urgench International Airport | Terminated |
| Venezuela | Porlamar | Santiago Mariño Caribbean International Airport | Terminated |
| Vietnam | Nha Trang | Cam Ranh International Airport | Terminated |
* ↑ Disputed. See Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation.

### Codeshare agreements

In March 2025 Belavia and Nordwind Airlines signed a codeshare agreement to operated connection flights through Kazan Airport and Pulkovo Airport.

## Fleet

As of September 2024, Nordwind Airlines fleet comprises the following aircraft:
Nordwind Airlines fleet :
| Aircraft | In service | Orders | Passengers | Passengers | Passengers | Notes |
| Aircraft | In service | Orders | C | Y | Total | Notes |
| Airbus A321-200 | 3 | — | — | 220 | 220 | |
| Airbus A321neo | 2 | — | — | 218 | 218 | |
| Airbus A330-200 | 2 | — | — | 361 | 361 | |
| Airbus A330-300 | 3 | — | 34 | 259 | 293 | |
| Boeing 737-800 | 10 | — | 12 | 156 | 168 | VP-BSA returned to Ireland VP-BDU returned to lessor |
| Boeing 737-800 | 10 | — | — | 189 | 189 | VP-BSA returned to Ireland VP-BDU returned to lessor |
| Boeing 777-200ER | 2 | — | — | 440 | 440 | |
| Boeing 777-300ER | 2 | — | 6 | 480 | 486 | VP-BJP returned to the USA |
| Boeing 777-300ER | 2 | — | — | 486 | 486 | VP-BJP returned to the USA |
| Irkut MC-21-300 | — | 5 | TBA | TBA | TBA | |
| Total | 24 | 5 | | | | |
In 2022 Air Lease Corporation are seeking to recover two A321neo and four Boeing 737-800s, as the lease payments are not being made.
The fleet previously included the following aircraft:
* Airbus A320-200
* Boeing 757-200
* Boeing 767-300ER