Ukrvozdukhput
(Ukrainian Society of Airways)
In the Ukraine, the spirit of republican independence manifested itself by the formation of an airline. On 1 June, 1923, less than three months after the formation of Dobrolet, Ukrainskoe Obschestvo Vozduzhnyk Shoobshcheniy (The Ukranian Airline Company), or Ukvozduchput was founded. Headquarters were at Kharkov, a potential hub for air services throughout the European part of the Soviet Union.
The airline headquarters building in Kharkov
Ukvozduchput began operating on 15 April, 1925 when it
offered service from Kharkov to Odessa and Kiev. Two months later, on 15
June, routes to Moscow and Rostov-on-Don completed a spoke network centered on
Kharkov. The Kalinin aircraft company was also located in Kharkov which
helped to establish the importance of the located. Kalinin soon began a
cooperative venture with the Dornier aircraft manufacturer which itself had
financial interest in Deruluft. Indeed, this partnership soon allowed
Ukvozduchput to acquire its first fleet of four-seat Dornier Komet II and
six-seat Komet III airplanes which it operated along the newly-formed routes.
By 1928, Ukvozduchput was carrying more than 3,000 passengers a year. But, this success was short-lived as the Soviet central government's "Five-Year Plan" called for all air service in the Soviet Union to be controlled by one government agency. In 1929, Ukvozduchput was absorbed into the newly formed national airline Dobrolet (along with the other Soviet operators -- Zakavia and Deruluft-Deutsche).
As the group grew in strength and expanded its network, it developed into an aviation giant which needed a central management control system - this became a reality in February 1932. Every division of civil aviation across Russia and its Republics was incorporated under the umbrella of the Russian Civil Air Fleet and renamed Aeroflot.
Promotional Materials and Timetables
Three Ukvozduchput airline promotional posters from the 1920s
