There is still plenty of interesting material from the MAKS air show that will eventually make its way to these pages, but, in the meantime, and given that we are now reporting from Russia, we would like to switch the attention to what is going on in the airline industry of the largest country on Earth...

And this is basically growth (+16.3% on the first seven months of the year compared with same period last year), but also some interesting strategic moves that might have an effect on the industry's competitive landscape in years to come.

Some hot issues at the moment are: the likely emergence of a domestic low cost airline industry in Russia (most likely led by incumbent traditional carriers, such as Aeroflot), Moscow's long-term airport development plans and strategic agreements between major Russian airlines.

And where best to go look for some insights on all these matters than at one of the key players in the Russian airline industry, Transaero Airlines (Трансаэро ).

What follows is the interview we conducted with Dmitry Stolyarov, First Deputy General Director of Transaero Airlines:

Q: What is Transaero's position regarding expansion at different Moscow airports? Is Vnukovo going to become the main Moscow base for Transaero after UTair's agreement? What is going to be the role of each Moscow airport (Domodedovo, Vnukovo and Sheremetyevo) in Transaero's future plans?

A: Transaero Airlines is gradually continuing to develop at each of the three airports of the Moscow Aviation Hub. This development strategy meets both the market requirements and passengers’ needs as clients have a choice of the most convenient airport for them. The airline regards all three airports as its hub - providing transfer opportunities with its own flights and with flights of partner-airlines.