MOSCOW, October 10 - RAPSI. Aeroflot airlines has appealed the dismissal of its defamation lawsuit against Izvestia daily, the Moscow Commercial Court told the Russian Legal Information Agency (RAPSI/rapsinews.com).

The lawsuit centers on an article published by Izvestia in February which alleged that Aeroflot pilots fall asleep in the cockpit during flights because they are forced to work such long hours. The plaintiff demanded that the newspaper retract the allegations and pay five million rubles ($161,000) in moral damages.

The Moscow Commercial Court held against Aeroflot's claims in June. Judge Nikolai Tarasov said in the ruling that the plaintiff produced no real evidence that the statements in the article's headline and text were inaccurate.

The appellate court then upheld the decision in September.

Izvestia does not recognize the claims. The newspaper's lawyer said in court that there was no mention in the article that the company had violated the law. In addition, although the article mentioned Aeroflot, there are 83 other companies that use the same word in their names. Therefore, Izvestia claimed, the plaintiff needed to prove that the article was referring specifically to Russias major airline.

Also, Izvestia said that Aeroflot requested to have the article refuted in court, without specifying which statements it considers defamatory, although the material it provided included historical facts, data on other companies, and an official comment by Aeroflot.

Aeroflot is a member of the SkyTeam air alliance. It is based at the Sheremetyevo International Airport. The Federal Agency for State Property Management is Aeroflot's primary shareholder, holding a 51.17 percent stake in the company. Aeroflot flies to 898 destinations in 169 countries.