Boeing B747-400 - A Transaero Ski Charter to Salzburg

In Austria Russian tourists are a very important economic factor during winter season. The demand has been met with all kinds of charter flights to Innsbruck and Salzburg. From the beginning on these were called “ski charters”, and even today with scheduled winter service spotters refer like this to these flights.
Winter season saw all possible aircraft types, with the biggest being Transaero’s B747-400. Therefore it made sense to fly on one of those flights. Tickets could be bougt via Transaero’ web page and were not that expensive, though a little more costly than a one way ticket to Munich or Vienna.
But flying a B747 within Europe is not so common any more, and together with the full service Transaero offered, this was something not to be missed.
The plane was boarded via busses in Vnukovo, and after 45 minutes the plane fired up the engines. Usually Transaero brings a 522 seat version of Boeings Queen of the Skies to Salzburg, but if those frames are needed else were, Salzburg sees Jumbos with Business and Imperial Class.
Take off in Moscow’s winter weather can be better, but there is not a lot to choose from anyway. The B747 burned about 23 tons of fuel to Salzburg, and the approach and landing was quite fun.
The crews were very friendly and dedicated to their work. This is not uncommon in Russia, and times have changed dramatically. Less common are openness and the willingness to share the love for flying with enthusiasts. But the crew of this flight really liked to show their flagship from it’s best side.
Salzburg is a pretty cool airport, especially during winter. They have a great terrace for spotting and interesting traffic during winter season. And it’s a cool feeling to land in an aircraft, hundreds of spotters picture on the ground...