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SCMP Reporter

VASSILI Tkachenko is in an exuberant humour. As the first Russian airline executive ever to be posted to Hong Kong, the general manager for Aeroflot/Russian International Airlines (RAL) had just returned from a long-overdue holiday in Moscow and things couldn't be better.

  While most of the world's airlines are tightening their seat belts to face the recession, his carrier is steadily prospering.

  After being prohibited from landing at Kai Tak for 30 years because of Cold War rivalries, the Russian Federation's new flag-carrier began weekly flights between Hong Kong and Moscow a year ago last month.

  The ten-hour flights using new Airbuses proved so popular that within three months the fledgling carrier added a second flight to keep up with demand.

   Now there are plans to add a third non-stop flight each week, beginning next spring.

  Since its first touch-down here last summer, RAL has carried some 30,000 passengers between Hong Kong and the Russian capital and nearly 7,000 tonnes of cargo.

  ''Now our load factor is often over 100 per cent; we are sometimes losing passengers to other airlines because we don't have the frequency to keep up with demand,'' says Mr Tkachenko with a bemused smile.

  ''Yes, we have the slot here at Kai Tak, but there's congestion at Sheremetyevo (Moscow's international airport). Hopefully we can have a third flight by April 1.''   Apart from its busy Hong Kong route, in Asia RAL also flies to Tokyo, Singapore, Bangkok, and Sydney. There are plans to add a Taipei flight and possibly a second flight to Sydney, via Hong Kong.

  RAL management, however is careful not to expand too fast, knowing that big is not always best.

  At one time Aeroflot was the biggest airline in the world. It boasted a massive staff of 500,000 and more than 2,000 aircraft. It also had a massive image problem, with a reputation for frightful food, brutish in-flight service and dubious reliability.

  But the collapse of the Soviet Union also meant the splintering of its national carrier into a score of smaller carriers. Of these, RAL is Russia's first gallant effort to run a truly modern airline.

  Formed by a presidential decree of Boris Yeltsin as an international division of Aeroflot, RAL operates on the basis that on-time performance and good service equals profitability.

  Eschewing the use of Aeroflot's old Yaks, Tupolevs and Ilyushins - all noisy and high fuel consuming aircraft - RAL has leased five new wide-bodied Airbuses to serve its European and Asia-Pacific routes.

   The A310s boast a new livery using the tri-colour flag of the Russian federation.

  Acutely aware of Aeroflot's past reputation for less than solicitous service, Mr Tkachenko says RAL is making great efforts to match its service with the best in Asia.

  ''Asia is very important to us, crucially important and we know how good many of the Asian airlines are. But we have new aircraft, fine foods and wine, and international-standard audio visual entertainment systems.''   RAL has also selectively recruited 700 of the best flight and cabin crew from Aeroflot, many with extended experience living outside the former Soviet Union. All are fluent in English and many also speak French, German and Japanese.

   Mr Tkachenko, who has been with Aeroflot since 1960, was himself based in Rome for eight years and speaks fluent Italian. He has also had stints in Belgrade and New Delhi.

  Though only about five per cent of RAL passengers are Russian, they tend to fill up the first class section of the aircraft. How can Russians afford to fly first class?  ''There are,'' grins the Ukrainian-born Mr Tkachenko, ''a lot of very wealthy Russians now. When I was in Moscow last week, the city hosted an International Motor Show.

  ''Rolls-Royce was there. Mercedes-Benz was there. Japanese, German and American car makers were all there - and the buyers were all Russian. This wasn't possible three years ago. Now, anything is possible.''  The balance of RAL's Airbuses are filled with a complete spectrum of travellers, says Mr Tkachenko, mainly business people from Europe, Asia and North America. Some stop off in Moscow for business first, before flying RAL on to Paris or London.

  RAL's general sales agent, Global Union Express, also says that more Hong Kong tourists are planning holiday tours to Russia and this will likely increase further by the year's end, when Hong Kong's first Russian consulate is expected to open.

  Mr Tkachenko concedes that many local people are surprised when they first meet him socially, and he laments the fact that local people seem to know little about Russia beyond the headlines.

  ''We placed a newspaper ad to hire three local staff and interviewed about 20 young people. I asked them some very simple questions about Russia. 'Do you know where Russia is? Do you know the capital of Russia?'   ''No one knew! I was very surprised. In Russia, a lot of people know about Hong Kong. They know it's a British colony, they know it's a major manufacturing centre. They have a good basic knowledge of it.

  ''But none of our young local applicants knew that Moscow was Russia's capital; and they have never heard of St. Petersburg.'' He laughs with good-natured indignation.

  ''But once they've been there, they return with a very good image of the country and the people. They're really impressed at the richness of the culture.''   Like most expatriates living in Hong Kong, Vassili Tkachenko enjoys dining out, but has a particular fondness for Italian cuisine.

  Apart from being a music lover, Mr Tkachenko is, like many Russians, an avid reader, with a special interest in military memoirs; his home library include some 40 volumes on the topic.

   While most of his reading is for pleasure, not all of it is heavy or historic; he is currently reading a Russian edition of Gone with the Wind.

   And he spent 20 days of his recent home holiday in Moscow studying with his 17-year-old daughter Tania, for her exams. She passed, says the proud papa, scoring 19 points from a possible 20.

  Mr Tkachenko is convinced that there will be very little real change in Hong Kong in 1997. But after four years here he anticipates returning to Moscow. That way, he'll be back just in time to see his daughter graduate. With honours, he expects.



Ending the Russian roulette