Published: 7/24/1998

The fleet of Airbus airliners in CIS countries has grown to 17: Aeroflot-Russian International Airlines (ARIA) remains the biggest operator, with ten A310s in regular service and with plans for acquiring two more by the end of this year. Initially, Aeroflot was to take delivery of two used A310s in December last year, but finally did so only on 15 July. The company's explanation is that both aircraft were found to need changes in the avionics suite and the cabin for better passenger comfort. The A310 acquired type certification from MAK, the Interstate Aviation Committee, back in 1991 and entered service with Aeroflot in July 1992. By April this year, the company's A310 fleet had amassed 20,500 flights, spending 125,800 hours in the air. Today, the type shows an average daily flight time of 13 hours, and a punctuality of 99%. The latest addition to the fleet will allow an increase in frequencies on the newly opened route linking St.Petersburg and Tokyo. Aeroflot has been performing C-checks on its A310s locally at Sheremetievo airport since November 1997. In the near future, the C-check will also be undertaken at the repair facility at the Uzbeki capital, Tashkent, which belongs to the national carrier. In June, Uzbekiston Khavo Yullary took delivery of its third A310 directly from the factory in Toulouse. The Uzbeki flag-carrier has achieved utilisation rates similar to those of Aeroflot. Then, on 8 July, Armenian Airlines took delivery of its first A310, which also became the first western aircraft in the national inventory. The Armenian example has 193 seats and P&W JT9D-7R4 engines. It is now flying routes linking the Armenian capital, Yerevan, withWestern Europe and CIS. Airbus has recently gained a new CIS client in the form of Sakha Airlines, but its two A310s are the same airframes that used to fly in the colours of Sakha-Avia, which is now facing bankruptcy . A real break-through for Airbus was achieved on 3 July, with the delivery of an A320 to Kyrgyzstan Airlines. The airliner is currently flying from the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek to Frankfurt, Hanover, Moscow, Istanbul and Beijing. It is operated under lease agreements with AirFrance B.V., an aircraft lessor owned by Daimler-Benz and a number of German banks. This A320, with 146 seats in a two class layout, is the first standard-fuselage aircraft from Airbus to enter service with CIS operators. The next A320 user could be the Ukrainian flag-carrier, which expressed its intention to acquire two such aircraft in spring 1997. However, since then. no firm agreements have been signed.(IN798.2) (VK)  

Article ID: 208