Russian flag carrier Aeroflot said on Tuesday its passenger volume in 2001 had jumped by nearly 15% over the previous year despite a global industry slowdown after September 11.

The carrier attributed the rise mainly to a surge in domestic flights.

"Positive results were reached despite the extremely difficult crisis in the world aviation sector and the fall in the airline business after September 2001," the company said.

Aeroflot gave no details about its financial performance during the year, but chief executive Valery Okulov proposed that the fourth quarter loss of $18m would be covered by the profits from the previous quarters.

The company halved its profit expectations after 11 September to around $7.7m.

Analysts agreed that the company might post profits for the year according to the national accounting standards, but that its loss might approach $5m if international standards applied.

Russia's accounting standards are thought to be more forgivable for companies than the international ones.

Shares in Aeroflot, listed on the Moscow Stock Exchange, were down 2.38% at $0.39 following the announcement.