After 2005, the airline operated mostly international charter services to leisure destinations, under the brand name Kolavia.

In May 2012, Kogalymavia changed its marketing branding from Kolavia to Metrojet,[6][7] as part of its newly-established joint venture with TUI Russia & CIS, a subsidiary of the German tourism company TUI Travel.

[8] Up until August 2014, when the joint-venture was terminated,[8] Metrojet operated on behalf of TUI,[9][10] and flew independently from then on.

In 2011, one of its planes caught fire, resulting in 3 fatalities and 32 additional injured.

On 5 December 2015, shortly after the terrorist attack on Flight 9268, Metrojet suspended all remaining operations after a significant decrease in passenger numbers and doubts about the security situation at its primary leisure destinations in Egypt.