Yakutia Airlines (R3, Yakutsk (YKS)) is making use of the void left by bankrupt Kuban Airlines (GW, Krasnodar Pashkovsky (KRR)) and has launched new routes from its base at Krasnodar Pashkovsky (KRR) to Istanbul Atatürk/Yesilköy International (IST), Tel Aviv Ben Gurion (TLV) and Yerevan Zvartnots (EVN). All three routes were previously served by Kuban. Yakutia currently offers five weekly services to Istanbul, two weekly services to Yerevan and a weekly flight to Tel Aviv, all served with B737-700s.

Kuban Airlines (GW, Krasnodar Pashkovsky (KRR)) has stopped all operations on December 11 following a bankruptcy filing. The carrier owned by Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska already had been in financial difficulties for some time accumulating approximately $300 million USD in debt and has also not been able to meet a new requirement by the Russian civil aviation authority Rosaviatsia to operate at least eight aircraft to retain its air operator certificate. Kuban had been merged with low-cost carrier Sky Express (Russia) (XW, Moscow Vnukovo International (VKO)) back in November 2011 and most recently has operated a fleet of three A319-100s, two B737-300s and two B737-500s on domestic routes from Krasnodar and Vnukovo and international flights from Krasnodar to Istanbul Atatürk/Yesilköy International (IST), Tel Aviv Ben Gurion (TLV) and Yerevan Zvartnots (EVN).

Kuban Airlines (GW, Krasnodar Pashkovsky (KRR)) has again announced plans to retire its Yak-42 fleet by the end of October and to cut its network accordingly. It has a fleet of 12 Yak-42s although not all aircraft are currently operational and according to ch-aviation schedule analysis only 4-5 aircraft are required to operate its current schedule. It had previously already announced that it had withdrawn its Yak-42s from scheduled service in late 2011 but then started operating several of them on scheduled flights again while deploying its Airbus and Boeing aircraft on more charter flights and returning three B737-300s to the lessors.

Kuban Airlines (GW, Krasnodar Pashkovsky (KRR)) is expected to layoff up to 500 of its 900 as part of a restructuring plan according to local press reports in Russia. Kuban's owner Basel Aero is currently talking to Aeroflot (SU, Moscow Sheremetyevo International (SVO)) and the regional government of the Krasnodar region about a potential investment in the carrier and is said to be considering closing the loss making carrier by the end of the month if no new investor can be found. Kuban Airlines operates three A319-100s, two B737-300s and two B737-500s as well as several Yak-42s with a main focus on Southern Russia.

Aeroflot (SU, Moscow Sheremetyevo International (SVO)) is currently evaluating the potential acquisition of Kuban Airlines (GW, Krasnodar Pashkovsky (KRR)) and its Sky Express (Russia) (XW, Moscow Vnukovo International (VKO)) low-cost division. Kuban operates three A319-100s, two B737-300s and two B737-500 as well as several Yak-42s on regional scheduled services and leisure charter flights on behalf of Russian tour operators. It currently operates from two main bases at Krasnodar and Moscow Vnukovo International (VKO).