In 1956 Aeroflot launched the world’s first jet, the TU-104, to operate on Russia’s domestic and international routes. In August 1959, Sheremetyevo Airport was opened with the primary task of accommodating international flights. In the late 1950s, the TU-114, the world’s largest aircraft equipped with more efficient turbo-prop engines, underwent rigorous testing and was put into commercial operation by Aeroflot.

In January 1971, the Aeroflot Central Administration of International Air Traffic was established within the framework of the International Airline Transportation Administration, and became the industry’s sole enterprise authorised to operate international flights. Abroad the airline was known as “Aeroflot Soviet Airlines”In 1980.

In 1991, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the “Aeroflot Soviet Airlines” Commercial Production Alliance was created, which was transformed into the open stock company “Aeroflot Russian International Airlines” on July 28, 1992. At the same time, the airline began operating foreign aircraft. The first foreign aircraft to appear at Aeroflot were the leased A310-300 manufactured by Airbus Industry. Two years later, the company acquired Boeing 767-300ER aircraft, which adhere to the highest ecological and noise standards.

In 1994, the airline acquired Russian-made third generation Il-96-300 aircraft for international flights. In late 1995, the airline leased the DC-10-30F long-haul freight carrier.

In 2000 the company name was changed to Aeroflot – Russian Airlines to reflect the change in the company strategy. The Aeroflot fleet shrank dramatically in the post-Soviet era, dropping from 5,400 planes in 1991 to 115 in 1996.

Since the dissolution, Aeroflot has been actively working towards promoting and redefining itself as a safe and reliable airline. In the early 2000s, the airline hired British consultants for re-branding. From the start, plans were afoot to replace the old Soviet-era hammer and sickle logo, which some people in the West viewed as a reminder of the Soviet communist era; despite this the logo was not scrapped, as it was the most recognisable symbol of the company for over 70 years. A new livery and uniforms for flight attendants were designed and a promotional campaign launched in 2003.

Its fleet has undergone a major reorganisation during which most of the Soviet aircraft were replaced by Western-built jets; costs over fuel consumption rather than safety concerns were cited for such a movement. Airbus A319s and A320s for short-haul flights in Europe; and Boeing 767s and Airbus A330s for long-haul routes; were gradually incorporated into the fleet. In the spring of 2004 an expansion on the domestic market was undertaken, aiming to gain 30% share by 2010. The first task was to outperform S7 Airlines, a major rival and the leader in the domestic market.

In April 2006, Aeroflot became the tenth airline to join SkyTeam, and the first air carrier in the former Soviet Union to do so. The company announced its plan to increase cargo operations. It registered the Aeroflot-Cargo trademark in 2006. During that year Aeroflot carried 7,290,000 passengers and 145,300 tons of mail and cargo to 89 destinations in 47 countries. It saw improvements in its earnings and number of passengers carried.

In February 2010, the Russian government announced that all regional airlines owned by the state through the holding company Rostechnologii would be consolidated with the national carrier Aeroflot in order to increase the airlines' financial viability. The merger was completed in late November 2011 in a deal worth US$81 million.

2010 brought another major progression. Authorities decided that regional airlines should be consolidated with Aeroflot. As a result, a massive major occurred in November 2011. In this same year, the airline received its first Sukhoi SuperJet 100 type, of which it now has 16 units.