Aeroflot Group, the parent company of Russian flag carrier Aeroflot, has signed an agreement with the local aerospace manufacturer United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) for the purchase of 339 domestically made planes.
The agreement, which was signed on September 7, 2022, consists of 210 Irkut MC-21 single-aisle passenger aircraft, 89 Sukhoi Superjet New and 40 Tupolev Tu-214 medium-range narrow-body airliners.
“Today we signed the largest agreement on the acquisition of domestic aircraft in the recent history of Aeroflot. This is an important step that sets the stimulus and influences the prospects for the development of civil aviation in Russia,” Aeroflot general director Sergey Alexandrovsky said.
Delivery is expected to commence in 2023, with the last plane joining the group in 2030, Aeroflot said in a statement.
Sergey Chemezov, the general director of Rostec, the parent company of UAC, said that Boeing and Airbus planes “are unlikely” to ever be delivered to any Russian air carriers again. As a result, the local market will be replaced with domestically produced aircraft. For instance, Chemezov believes that the MC-21 will soon “become the flagship aircraft” of the Aeroflot fleet. “I note that all aircraft will be delivered in an import-substituted form: with Russian-made on-board systems and units,” Chemezov said.
Following the delivery schedule, Aeroflot Group is expected to receive the first two Superjet New passenger planes in 2023. Meanwhile, delivery of the first six MS-21s and the first seven Tu-214s is expected to take place in 2024.