Smartavia: The Russian Low-Cost Airline Linking Arkhangelsk, St. Petersburg and Moscow

History and positioning

Heir to the Nordavia brand, Smartavia is based in Arkhangelsk and aims to set itself apart as the smart low-cost carrier of the Russian domestic market, a positioning built mainly on regional routes that directly connect cities other than Moscow.

The fleet

The fleet numbers about 15 aircraft in transition, moving from Boeing 737-800 to the newer Airbus A320neo as part of its modernization plan, a change that also reflects the broader pressure on Russian carriers' Boeing fleets since 2022.

Routes and network

It serves about 50 destinations, with strong bases at both Moscow Sheremetyevo and St. Petersburg, where it offers 17 destinations including Arkhangelsk, Murmansk, Kazan, Kaliningrad, Novosibirsk, Samara and Sochi, with seasonal routes such as Moscow-Novokuznetsk kept even in the winter schedule.

Fares and baggage

Following its stated low-cost model, fares rest on standard unbundled logic: a base fare with limited or no checked baggage, with seat selection and additional baggage sold separately, in line with the airline's positioning against Russia's domestic full-service carriers.

What passengers say

Feedback on Smartavia's Russian domestic routes follows the classic low-cost trade-off: appreciation for affordable point-to-point regional fares that avoid the Moscow bottleneck, along with the usual criticism of ancillary costs and limited rebooking flexibility when a flight is disrupted.

Smartavia is a sensible choice for budget travelers between Russian regional cities and St. Petersburg or Moscow, especially on routes that avoid the more expensive legacy carriers. It is not the airline to choose if you want generous baggage included in the base fare, because here it has to be bought separately. Since the fleet is actively mixing Boeing 737-800s and new A320neos during the transition, check the specific aircraft type when booking if cabin consistency matters to you.