Russia’s reliance on Airbus and Boeing for new aircraft is over
Russia and its airline Aeroflot are moving to import-substituted aircraft, starting with this order for 339 airliners.
Russia’s reliance on Airbus and Boeing for new aircraft looks like becoming a thing of the past. The country’s flag carrier, Aeroflot, has finally confirmed it is turning inwards by placing an order for 339 locally built aircraft. The order was signed at the Eastern Economic Forum being held from September 5 – 8 in Vladivostok.
New engines need to be certified for the Superjet 100 to make it an import-substituted variant aircraft.
According to ch-aviation.com, Aeroflot’s order comprises:
- 210 Irkut MC-21-300
- 40 Tupolev Tu-214 narrowbodies
- 89 Irkut SSJ 100/95-NEW regional jet, revised version of the Superjet 100
In a sign of things to come, all these aircraft will be in ‘import-substituted’ form, which means Russian-made systems and components, including engines, will replace any from ‘unfriendly’ countries. The aircraft will come from state-owned technology business Rostec, whose general director, Sergey Chemezov, said:
“Boeing and Airbus aircraft, which are unlikely ever to be delivered to Russia again, will be replaced by Russian-made passenger aircraft.”
He added that “of the 339 aircraft, almost 300 are new-generation MS-21 and Superjet aircraft. The Tu-214 will become a reliable workhorse for them – this aircraft was previously produced for special customers and has proven itself well. The flagship in the Aeroflot fleet will be the MS-21.” The MC-21 and MS-21 refer to the same aircraft, with the nomenclature changing in translation.
The other little bit of possible confusion concerns who actually makes the aircraft. Irkut Corporation, part of United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), makes the MC-21 and the SSJ, and United Engine Corporation will build the engines. All these companies are majority owned by Rostec, Russia’s state-owned aerospace and defense conglomerate.
The SSJ-100/95NEW is not yet certified, given its engines were previously made by PowerJet, a France-Russia joint venture between Safran and NPO Saturn. That formality will no doubt be quickly taken care of, and the aircraft will start delivering to Aeroflot in 2023. The new narrowbody MC-21 is also not yet certified, with the first deliveries of six aircraft expected in 2024. The Tu-214 is a variant of the Tu-204, which was first flown in 1996 but has undergone various upgrades since then. The Tu-214 is in production, and as Chemezov said, it’s made for special customers, which in Russia’s case means the government and military. When Aeroflot takes the keys to the first seven in 2024, it will become the first commercial operator of the type. The total order is due for delivery by the end of 2030.
The ch-aviation.com data shows that Aeroflot has a fleet of 305 aircraft, which includes 127 wet-leased in. The only Russian-built aircraft in the current fleet are 76 SSJ-100/95Bs, of which 72 are wet-leased and the other four shown as inactive. The bulk of Aeroflot’s fleet is 130 Airbus A320-family, 47 Boeing 737-800 and 29 777-300ER aircraft, some of which are also wet-leased.
Aeroflot’s 26 Boeing 777-300ERs have an average age of just eight years, so how will the airline maintain them as they age? The data shows that Aeroflot owns just 57 aircraft, with the balanced leased, although leased could be switched to held hostage. To make all this activity happen, the Russian state will subsidize the order, mainly to cover the early production costs of the new types, until Rostec ramps up to full production. simpleflying.com