Aeroflot has taken delivery of a brand-new Airbus A350-900. The aircraft is the first not only for the operator but also for the region, as no other airline currently operates the A350XWB in Eastern Europe or CIS. The new airliner also features a subtle update to the century-old airline’s livery.
Airbus announced the delivery of Aeroflot’s new A350-900 on February 28, 2020, also confirming that the aircraft is the first of the type in Eastern Europe and CIS countries. The new A350-900 is the first of 14 aircraft due to join the carrier’s fleet.
“Aeroflot’s A350-900 features a distinctive new livery embracing its almost 100-year heritage,” Airbus has made a point in a statement. The new livery is a subtle update rather than a radical change. The main features of the current livery, such as the Russian flag on the tail and blue engines, have been sustained. However, the predominantly silver fuselage has now been turned white and the wingtips, previously red, now also feature all colors of the flag. Aeroflot’s current livery was introduced in 2003.
Aeroflot wide-body aircraft fleet currently consists of Airbus A330s and Boeing 777-300ERs. Having taken the first Boeing 777-300ER in 2013, the airline currently has 19 aircraft of the type and awaits deliveries of three more, Boeing’s books indicate. Of its Airbus wide-bodies, Aeroflot operates 19 A330s. The average age of these being 9 years – the oldest compared to other aircraft types the airline flies, planespotters.net data shows.
The A350XWB should come as a replacement for the latter. In 2019, Aeroflot retired its first A330-300 (registration number VQ-BCQ ), followed by two more aircraft in 2020 so far.
In total, Aeroflot Russian Airlines, part of Aeroflot Group, operates a fleet of 247 aircraft. Besides Airbus and Boeing aircraft, both narrow and wide-body, it is also one of the few airlines in the world that counts on the Russian-made Sukhoi Superjet 100, of which it has 54.