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that have reportedly decided to hike the prices, while Russia's largest carmaker Avtovaz and its market leading Lada brand, plus its shareholders Renault and Nissan, has decided to keep the prices unchanged. Avtovaz, Renault and Nissan are seen as the most resistant to currency pressure due to the higher levels of localisation, but should the ruble stabilise at RUB79 to the euro, they too will have to raise the prices.
9.1.3 Aviation sector news
Russian national air carrier Aeroflot is moving away from using foreign-made planes to buying Russian-made planes and says it will place a new order for 100 Sukhoi Super Jets domestic short-distance aircraft with about 87-seat capacity, Vedomosti daily reported on September 9. Reportedly, the total cost of 100SSJs is over $3bn, though the company plans to receive those gradually at lower cost. Aeroflot is the largest user of SSJs and in September took on the 49th jet of this category into the fleet. The share of Russian jets in the fleet is growing and now amounts to 14%. SSJ-100, produced by Sukhoi Civil Aircraft, had been struggling to compete with Boeing and Airbus equivalents. In 2014, the company delivered just 37 of civilian airliners, compared to 124 military aircraft, but has been supported by the state since 2015 . In March, Russia's President Vladimir Putin has thrown his weight behind a RUB85bn ($1.5bn) investment of the new version of SSJ100. In in February Russian privately owned airline S7 put in an order for 100 SSJ100 Russian-made “super jets”. In April, two Iranian airlines signed a memorandum of understanding with Sukhoi for the delivery of an initial 40 SSJ100. However, the efficiency of the jets is still questioned. "Aeroflot currently operates 50 SSJs and their operating efficiency is very low compared to other aircraft, due to regular breaks and lengthy maintenance," Aton Equity analysts commented on September 10, noting that the "news left a negative impression". The carrier will reportedly use the new aircraft to develop Russian regional aviation hubs, although the strategy for such development and the cities chosen for it have not yet been announced.
Russian national air carrier Aeroflot plans to launch four regional aviation hubs in addition to the one in Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport, potentially developing more routes from St Petersburg, Sochi, Krasnoyarsk, and one of the cities of the Urals region, Vedomosti daily said on September 10, citing unnamed sources in the company. Aeroflot Group has already
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