In December of last year, the airline announced that, on the advice of its image consultant, the British firm Identica, it would exclude images of the hammer and sickle from its symbols. Marketing research conducted outside Russia indicated that such a change would benefit the company: most foreign passengers believed that the symbol of the Soviet era evoked negative associations. The new image also provides for a change in the color scheme of Aeroflot and a stylization of the Russian flag on the tails of aircraft. In addition, the company is purchasing new American Boeings and European Airbuses, which are intended to replace Aeroflot's aging air fleet, which until now consisted mainly of Soviet-made aircraft. The interiors of the cabins and the crew uniforms are also being updated, and attempts are being made to improve the service and quality of food served on board.
However, the company's management no longer intends to abandon the hammer and sickle — an emblem that has been around for 70 years. 'This is an old Russian brand that everyone associates with Aeroflot. This logo is so harmonious that it will not be easy to replace it,' said the company's deputy general director Lev Koshlyakov in an interview with the France Presse agency.