Mrs. Pleshakova was awarded for her contribution to the development of the economic and cultural connections between Russia and France.
MOSCOW – Transaero Airlines CEO Olga Pleshakova was honored with one of the highest awards of the French Republic, the National Order of Merit. The award ceremony took place at the French Embassy in Moscow on May 28, 2014.
Mrs. Pleshakova was awarded for her contribution to the development of the economic and cultural connections between Russia and France.
On behalf of the French authorities the sign of the Officer of Order of Merit was handed to Olga Pleshakova by the French Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Russia Jean-Maurice Ripert. He said that the activities of Transaero CEO correspond to the idea of the French pilot and writer Antoine de Saint-Exupery who said that aviation is the most beautiful profession in the world bringing people closer to each other. He highlighted that Mrs. Pleshakova plays an important role in strengthening relations between Russia and France. Thanks to Transaero more than 100,000 Russian citizens visited France in 2013. The Ambassador expressed his confidence that the figures will continue to grow as the development of economic and cultural connections between the two countries remains an important objective.
“Your determination, energy and bold decisions allowed Transaero to become Russia’s second largest carrier enjoying great popularity and overall recognition”, said Mr. Ripert. He also highlighted that Transaero, led by Olga Pleshakova, was the launch customer in Russia of the unique in the global aviation aircraft Airbus A380.
Olga Pleshakova said: “It is a great honor for Transaero Airlines to contribute to the development of the air transportation between Russia and France. Transaero will stay loyal to its wonderful mission, which is to shorten the distances, connect people and serve a reliable bridge between the nations”. She highlighted that behind all of the achievements of the airline is the efficient work of a great team, whose main criteria have always been a high level of professional skills and responsibility. That is why the highest award of the French Republic also belongs to 11,000 Transaero employees.
The representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Federal Air Transport Agency and Russian air transport companies attended the award ceremony.
Transaero Airlines started operations in 1991. In 2013, the airline carried 12.5 million passengers. The company ranks among the 30 largest airlines in the world and the 10 largest European airlines in terms of passenger turnover.
Currently Transaero operates 99 aircraft: 20 Boeing 747, 14 Boeing 777, 16 Boeing 767, 44 Boeing 737, 3 Tupolev tu-214, 2 Tupolev tu 204-100. The airline has the largest long-haul wide-body fleet in Russia, the CIS and Eastern Europe. It is the launch customer in Russia of the most modern aircraft such as Airbus A380, Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental and Airbus A320neo. Transaero operates on more than 200 routes in Russia, Europe, Asia, the Americas and Africa.
In terms of Transaero’s services to France, Transaero carries out scheduled flights to Paris and Lyon. It has partnership agreements with French airlines Aigle Azur and Corsair.
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