LONDON – This week, sanction-ridden Russian national carrier Aeroflot, has signed a framework agreement worth over 16 billion dollars for 339 jets.
It will come as no surprise to read that the order has been placed with United Aircraft Corporation; UAC is a 92% owned subsidiary of a Russian state-owned aviation company, Rostec.
The aircraft order is made up of 210 MC-21s, a single aisle variant made by Irkut, 40 Tupolev Tu-214’s and 89 Sukhoi Superjet-NEWs.
The record-breaking deal that’s valued at a trillion roubles in the local currency well exceeds Aeroflot’s current fleet size of only 183 aircraft.
Below is a brief look into what each of the aircraft types offers:
Irkut MC-21
Single aisle jet that has a carbon fiber polymer wing, a maximum capacity of 211 in a single class configuration, and a range of between 6,000 – 6,4000km.
Will not be certified by EASA as a result of sanctions. Costs depending on variant (-200 or -300) ranges between $72 – $91,000,000
Tupolev Tu-214
The narrow-body medium range is comparable to the Boeing 757. Max capacity of 210 with a range of 5,650km from twin engines. The price comes in at around $74,000,000.
Sukhoi Superjet 100/NEW
Regional jet with a typical capacity of 98 passengers, comparable to the Airbus A220, and a range of 4,578km. Standard model costs approximately $50,000,000.
The news of the all Russian deal figures as manufacturers Boeing and Airbus have stopped the supply of parts to assist with maintenance, repair, and overhaul operations of their existing fleet, as well as canceling scheduled deliveries of 9 Airbus A350-900s that in turn went to Turkish Airlines.
Denis Manturov, deputy head of the Russian government and acting minister for the industry, said:
“This deal will become the primary one for funding from the National Welfare Fund. The government will provide subsidies for procurement of indigenized versions of airplanes so as to freeze the acquisition prices for airlines to make sure our carriers would not experience additional financial burdens.”
The production of these planes will initially be expensive as the companies continue to source all components from within Russia, which they formerly sourced from the west as a result of sanctions imposed by the rest of the world in early 2022.
The government will help cover the initial costs of the aircraft from the federal budget, but as production increases, these subsidies will be reduced.
Deliveries of the aircraft will commence in 2023, with the two Superjets and then 7 Tupolevs and 6 MC-21-310s coming in 2024. The narrow body MC-21 is set to become Aerflots flagship as they move to detach themselves away from western manufacturers.
General director Sergei Aleksandrovsky has defiantly said, “By signing this agreement, we signal to the whole world that Russia is a great aviation power with huge potential and rich experience in aircraft production, able to manufacture reliable and modern airplanes”.
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