Aeroflot CEO told Vladimir Putin about plans to order 323 aircraft

Airline «Aeroflot» plans to conclude a contract for the supply of 323 domestic aircraft, informed On August 26, the general director of the airline, Sergei Aleksandrovsky, at the first after his destination meeting with President Vladimir Putin.

When concluding a contract for the newest Russian medium-haul airliner MS-21, 210 aircraft (AC) equipped with the domestic PD-14 engine will be required. Also “Aeroflot” intends to buy 73 Sukhoi Superjet (SSJ100) in the so-called “import-substituted” version (SSJ-New) and 40 Tu-214 units, Aleksandrovsky reported.

“This is a very significant volume, which will require us to attract additional resources,” Aleksandrovsky stressed. According to the top manager, the air carrier intends to hire an additional 3,500 pilots and order eight new flight simulators. He added that Aeroflot’s strategy is already “fully synchronized with the comprehensive program for the development of the aviation industry until 2030.” Putin recalled that 50 billion rubles were allocated to the company as part of subsidizing passenger traffic. from the budget. The CEO of Aeroflot, in turn, specified that the company received 10.3 billion rubles in April-May. to support the current activities of the airline and 12.5 billion rubles. – refunds for canceled flights.

Aleksandrovsky also said that state support helped to stabilize the situation with air travel in the country and now the company is increasing the number of new routes. “Despite the fact that a number of southern airports have been closed, we have refocused demand on demanded alternative destinations. Now we fly to 111 destinations, which is 18 destinations more than in 2021,” Aleksandrovsky said. He clarified that the airline, in particular, “significantly increased” the volume of traffic in the direction of Moscow – St. Petersburg: from 31 frequencies daily to 45, as well as in Sochi – from 15 to 25 per day.

Group “Aeroflot”(Aeroflot, Rossiya and Pobeda airlines) is the largest operator of domestic aircraft. Now Aeroflot has 183 aircraft in its fleet – five SSJ100s, the rest are Boeing and Airbus in various modifications. After the launch of a special military operation (SVO) in Ukraine in February 2022, European and American manufacturers (including Boeing and Airbus) were banned from selling aircraft and spare parts to Russian airlines, from carrying out maintenance and insurance of ships. And the leasing companies demanded the return of the aircraft because of the lease.

On Aeroflot’s plans to conclude a contract with the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC, part of Rostec) for the supply of about 300 Russian aircraft became known in June. Sources spokethat the contract could be signed during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Vedomosti wrote on June 7. In August the chapter UAC Yuri Slyusar said at the Army-2022 forum that the program for the supply of 300 aircraft to Aeroflot had already been agreed.

“Aeroflot” will receive the majority of all MS-21, SSJ-New and Tu-214 produced by 2030. According to the aviation industry development program until 2030, Russian airlines will be supplied with 142 SSJ-New units, 270 MS-21-310 units, and 70 Tu-214 units.

The first six MC-21 aircraft will be produced in 2024, their output should be consistently increased up to 72 units in 2029. Aircraft 20 units per year. Three Tu-214 aircraft, according to the program, will be delivered to the airlines in 2023, in 2025 mass production will begin – 10 aircraft annually.

UAC is also engaged in the restoration of old TU-214s, which can be leased by the Red Wings airline (Vedomosti). wrote about it on 21 July).

The average catalog price of the MS-21 is almost $98 million, SSJ100 – $36 million. Based on these figures, the Aeroflot contract, excluding the delivery of the Tu-214, will be at least $23.2 billion. But the final amount, according to Fyodor Borisov, an expert at the Higher School of Economics, will be agreed following the results of Aeroflot negotiations, UAC and interested departments. At the same time, Oleg Panteleev, director of the Aviaport industry agency, believes that in order to reduce the financial burden on the airline, a significant discount can be provided to it, and the state can also provide subsidies for aircraft leasing.

The main challenge, according to Borisov, will be whether the Russian aviation industry can fulfill such a massive order, given the “relatively small volume of production” in recent years. In the last 10 years in Russia, on average, about 15-20 aircraft of various types have been assembled annually. Panteleev agrees with him, stating that “a high bar has been set” for the aviation industry. But there are resources for this, he believes. “For example, peak SSJ100 production was 35 per year,” he said. The implementation of ambitious plans to increase the production of domestic aircraft, according to Panteleev, may be hindered by problems with the supply of components, since import substitution in this part is “still getting better.”

Borisov adds that in the current conditions in the aviation industry of the Russian Federation, due to sanctions, “a seller’s market has developed,” so carriers will have to plan to replenish the fleet in advance. “It is interesting how and according to what principles the supply of aircraft, which will soon be required by all carriers, will be distributed,” he adds.