Page 136 - RusRPTNov23

9.2.2 Automotive corporate news 9.2.3 Aviation corporate news
The passenger traffic of Russia’s Aeroflot Group grew by 4.7% on the year to 4.6mn people in September, the company said in a statement on October 12. The group’s passenger turnover rose by 13.3% on the year in the month. The passenger traffic of flagship carrier Aeroflot rose 2.1% on the year to 2.5mn people.
One of the largest Russian airlines, S7, will reduce its autumn-winter schedule by 10-15% year-on-year due to problems with servicing Airbus A320/A321neo aircraft, Kommersant has learned. Currently, about 20% of its fleet, including 14 of 39 neos, is not flying and is undergoing maintenance. Other airlines may also have problems with neo, experts say: it is virtually impossible to service the engines of these aircraft without official support, as is importing them under gray schemes.
Russia must double production of the An-124-100 jets by 2025, because engines have become available, and an upgrade is possible, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu told the executives of United Aircraft Corporation on October 12. A solution how to replace light transport aircraft An-26 and An-72 was found, and the government is yet to set the deadline for implementation, the official said without elabourating. Loading of the military transport aviation has recently exceeded that of the Soviet times by almost two times, and the jet numbers in the fleet must grow as the Il-76MD-90A aircraft is launched, the latest version in the series, he said
Russian private air carriers Urals Airlines and iFly are offered much harsher conditions on the buyout of the foreign leased jets than the state-controlled Aeroflot Group, Kommersant daily reports citing unnamed sources.
To remind, since 2022 Russian airlines have been in disarray following the sanctions for the Russian military invasion of Ukraine, facing airspace closures and having to repay over 500 leased passenger aircraft worth about $20bn to foreign leasing companies. Most recent reports suggested that state support for maintaining the foreign jet fleet is skewed towards national air carrier Aeroflot, potentially hurting private carriers such as S7, Urals airlines, and others.
A new report by Kommersant suggests that Ural Airlines (19 aircrafts) and the charter airline iFly (3 aircrafts) have not yet been able to buy out foreign aircraft
136 RUSSIA Country Report November 2023 www.intellinews.com