It offered international scheduled and charter operations for both passengers and cargo as well as wet lease services.

VIM Airlines was established by Viktor Ivanovich Merkulov (hence the name of the company) and started operations in 2000, with an Ilyushin Il-62M.

On 28 September 2017, CEO Alexander Cochnev and Chief Accountant Yekaterina Panteleyeva were arrested after an embezzlement case against the employers of the company.

[3] In late September 2017, VIM Airlines' aircraft were seized at foreign airports and several routes were cancelled, including all operations from its home base Moscow-Domodedovo.

The airline's aircraft were seized by lessors in Turkey following ongoing investigations by the Russian authorities.