MOSCOW, February 29 - RAPSI. Russia's leading air carrier Aeroflot is expected to file a defamation lawsuit against the Izvestiya newspaper in connection with an article about its pilots, Aeroflot reports on Wednesday.

"Aeroflot is going to court to defend its business reputation and to bring the guilty persons to liability due to the false and damaging information published by the Izvestiya on February 29, 2012. Aeroflot also requests mass media to refrain from distributing the information," Aeroflot said.

The Izvestiya alleged that "pilots of Russian airlines fall asleep right at the control wheel exhausted by long-hour flights."

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, with a 51.17 percent stake in the company. It flies to 898 destinations in 169 countries.