Russian Flag Carrier Chooses Airbus:
Russian airline Aeroflot has agreed to acquire 18 Airbus planes as part of its fleet modernization program.
The deal will make Airbus the major Western aircraft supplier to the Moscow-based carrier, but neither side has put a value on the contract.
The agreement, signed at Airbus headquarters in Toulouse, is for eighteen A320 family planes, including both A319s and A320s which will fly on Aeroflot’s European routes.
The Russian flag carrier is buying eight of the aircraft, a further four under a separate order placed on its behalf by GECAS and leasing the remaining six from the the US company.
Aeroflot will take delivery of its first Airbus single-aisle aircraft – an A319 – in the autumn of 2003.
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By: mongu - 24th November 2002 at 00:27
RE: Russian Flag Carrier Chooses Airbus!
Okay, sorry if I misinterpreted you Interflug. I guess the Russians and the British had similar philosophies, designing for a purpose rather than for outright economy – eg. VC-10, 146 etc..
I certainly hope that Russia keeps making planes, as Britain no longer participates apart from building Airbus components.
By: MSR777 - 23rd November 2002 at 23:07
RE: Russian Flag Carrier Chooses Airbus!
The argument on the comparison between Russian types and western ones is almost as old as aviation itself,and I did not mean to imply such a comparison in my posting,mongu. Soviet airliners were designed to comply with totally different requirements peculiar to a command economy,and within these requirements the equipment was totally satisfactory. With regard to Aeroflots “rush” to buy/lease western jets,I worked for Aeroflot in the UK during 1993 and I was told that had the Russian equivalent airliners been available at the time they would have been selected for service over the other types. However time has moved on and I totally agree with what you said that it would be good to see a role within the European arena for the Russian aerospace industry.
By: mongu - 23rd November 2002 at 10:52
RE: Russian Flag Carrier Chooses Airbus!
I’m not convinced that Eastern bloc airliners are all that good, Interflug.
There is a perception that they are very fuel inefficient compared to Western types. I would certainly say that, albeit subjective, Russian engines look long and thin, whereas modern Western engines look fatter – ie. Russian engines usually seem to have lower bypass ratios.
I find it interesting that NO ONE has taken a chance on them, apart from DHL (and then they chose the Tu-204, about the best of the lot, and it has RR engines).
Even Aeroflot had a mad rush to acquire the A310 for Western flights when the iron curtain fell, and they’ve subseuqnetly operated the 737 and 777, and shortly the A320. It isn’t just them – LOT, CSA, Malev…the list is getting quite long.
By: MSR777 - 22nd November 2002 at 23:18
RE: Russian Flag Carrier Chooses Airbus!
Good news that Aeroflot chooses Airbus,a superior product over Boeing in my opinion. However I don’t think that the great aviation heritage of the likes of A.N.Tupolev,S.Ilyushin,O.Antonov A.Yakovlev and many other great Soviet/Russian designers and constructors should be overlooked. I worked for 20yrs in civil aviation and have flown in many of the Russian types many times, I found them to be as capable of the task of revenue earning flights as any western type. It should also be remembered that many of the world aeronautic records were set by and remain in the hands of the Soviet/Russian aerospace industry. Lets hope that such an illustrious past will ensure some future for the Russian aircraft industry.
By: KabirT - 20th November 2002 at 11:55
RE: Russian Flag Carrier Chooses Airbus!
Yup…..there should not be any coommunalism in business:). Good news for Airbus but bad news for Russian industry. As wysiwyg said i would love to see the 204 with RRs.
By: Hand87_5 - 20th November 2002 at 10:10
RE: Russian Flag Carrier Chooses Airbus!
I agree. In any business , competition is good.
By: wysiwyg - 20th November 2002 at 10:00
RE: Russian Flag Carrier Chooses Airbus!
[updated:LAST EDITED ON 20-11-02 AT 10:01 AM (GMT)]I don’t want to see the demise of Boeing, I just want them to realise that they have made some big mistakes (principly being complacent about their older products) in the last 15 years and do something about it.
By: Jeuneturc007 - 20th November 2002 at 09:26
RE: Russian Flag Carrier Chooses Airbus!
[updated:LAST EDITED ON 20-11-02 AT 09:27 AM (GMT)]”Airbus win again! Soon the skies will be filled with airbus aircraft. Shame though, I would like to see Boeing get a little more business!”
yeah no kidding.. can’t even find an internship!!!!!
By: wysiwyg - 19th November 2002 at 23:55
RE: Russian Flag Carrier Chooses Airbus!
[updated:LAST EDITED ON 19-11-02 AT 11:58 PM (GMT)]I didn’t realise it already had them! I’ve just done a bit of research and it turns out the original Perm engines were pooh so they replaced them with Rolls’ finest.
By: mongu - 19th November 2002 at 23:37
RE: Russian Flag Carrier Chooses Airbus!
The best option would be for a Russian airframe manufacturer to buy into Airbus.
I think the future is non-existent for Russian engine manufacturers. People just have really bad images – inefficient, noisy, smokey, unreliable. That’s why the Tu-204 has RB-211’s.
By: keltic - 19th November 2002 at 23:01
RE: Russian Flag Carrier Chooses Airbus!
Great news. I am glad to hear that.
By: wysiwyg - 19th November 2002 at 22:52
RE: Russian Flag Carrier Chooses Airbus!
[updated:LAST EDITED ON 19-11-02 AT 10:53 PM (GMT)]That’s funny, I was just thinking the same thing! I’d love to see a Tu204 with a pair of RR’s under the wings!
By: Ren Frew - 19th November 2002 at 21:11
RE: Russian Flag Carrier Chooses Airbus!
I’d quite like to think that rarther than these “western” deals knocking nails into the coffins of Russian/Soviet/Eastern European aviation history that there may now be a chance for the best of East and Western engineering to come together and further the cause of ‘Glasnost’ in some way.
Much like British manufacturers such as Avro, Hawker Siddeley, et al all came under one umbrella as British Aerospace. Perhaps Tupolev, Antonov etc could come together for the common good. Of course I’d much rarther see these historic names stay independent, but I doubt it’s going to happen somehow.
By: A330Crazy - 19th November 2002 at 18:49
RE: Russian Flag Carrier Chooses Airbus!
[updated:LAST EDITED ON 19-11-02 AT 06:49 PM (GMT)]Airbus win again! 😀 Soon the skies will be filled with airbus aircraft. Shame though, I would like to see Boeing get a little more business!
By: Saab 2000 - 19th November 2002 at 16:53
RE: Russian Flag Carrier Chooses Airbus!
Great news for Airbus.I can’t wait to see the A319/20s in the Aeroflot livery! I’m guessing these aircraft are replacing the 734s?
It is actually quite sad for Tupolev and other CIS carriers. With another Russian opting for western Europe aircraft,this is just another nail in the coffin especially for Tupolev who surely could of marketed the TU-204 to Aeroflot?Yet because they lack finance they could not meet any demand in a large order for these aircraft…sad.
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November 19, 2002 at 3:58 pm