Aeroflot Takes Delivery Of Its First Airbus A320neo

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Russian national flag carrier Aeroflot recently took delivery of its first long-term lease of four Airbus A320neo jets from Dublin, Ireland-based CDB Aviation. Aeroflot took delivery of its first Airbus A320neo on May 14 at the Henri Ziegler Delivery Centre in Toulouse, France.

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Aeroflot’s first Airbus A320neo has the registration VP-PBQ. Photo: CDB Aviation

The Russian carrier is now awaiting the delivery of two additional Airbus A320neos and an Airbus A321neo, which it should receive by the end of May. All four aircraft are being delivered to Aeroflot from CDB Aviation, a wholly-owned Irish subsidiary of China Development Bank Financial Leasing Co.

CDB Aviation has a Moody A1 rating

With the direct backing of the China Development Bank, CDB Aviation has been in the aircraft leasing business for the past 36 years and enjoys a Chinese sovereign credit rating. Sovereign ratings accurately rank default risk with CDB Aviations’ risk of default rated by American credit rating agency Moody as being A1.

In a company statement issued by CDB Aviation on May 17, CDB Aviation Chief Commercial Officer Peter Goodman says:

“We are pleased to expand our strategic relationship between Aeroflot and CDB Aviation,” adding that “these modern aircraft will deliver the right mix of operational efficiency and flexibility to support Aeroflot’s fleet optimization as the carrier works towards its Strategy 2028 and seizes on opportunities in the Russian and international air transportation markets.

The neos will support Aeroflot’s strategic efforts to retrench its leading position in key markets on the domestic network while enhancing its fleet with the latest technology narrowbody aircraft offering higher capacity and improved fuel-efficiency.”

Aeroflot’s Strategy 2028 is to have a fuel-efficient fleet of 600 aircraft, this also includes Pobeda Airlines and Rossiya Airlines.

About the A320neo

The Airbus A320neo (new engine option) is the world’s most advanced and fuel-efficient single-aisle aircraft. Customers selecting to purchase the Airbus A320neo have the choice of two engine options the LEAP-1A from CFM International, a joint venture between America’s General Electric and France’s Safran or Pratt & Whitney PW1000G. It is worth noting that the PW1000G is the engine used to power the Airbus A220, Mitsubishi SpaceJet, and Embraer’s new generation of E-Jets. The Airbus A320neo is also fitted with fuel-saving wingtips that Airbus call Sharklets.

A321neo
The Airbus A321neo can carry more passengers than the A320neo and has a longer range. Infographic: Airbus

According to aviation enthusiast website aerotime.aero Aeroflot’s A320neos will be configured to accommodate 12 passengers in business class and 144 in economy class. The A321neo is slightly larger and will be configured to accommodate 12 passengers in business class and 184 passengers in economy class. The A321neo also has a longer range of 3995.68 nautical miles ( 7,400 kilometers) which is 593.96 nautical miles ( 1,100.01 kilometers) more than the A320neo.

Aeroflot suspends flights to Turkey

In other Aeroflot news, the airline announced on May 17 that it was canceling nearly all flights to Turkey during June. The move came following concern about the rates of COVID-19 infections and the worry that possibly infected people could travel to Russia. The suspension of flights will come as bad news for Turkish Mediterranean resorts as they are particularly popular with Russian vacationers.

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Except for two weekly flights to Istanbul, Aeroflot has suspended all flights to Turkey. Photo: Getty Images

Except for two flights per week, Aeroflot has suspended flights between Russia and Turkey. When speaking about the decision with the Russian news agency, TASS Aeroflot spokesman Mikhail Demin said:

“Travels are always planned weeks, sometimes months in advance. We stopped sales and canceled all flights to Turkey for June, with the exception of the two flights a week to Istanbul allowed by the headquarters (the operational headquarters for control and monitoring of the situation with coronavirus), so as not to inconvenience passengers due to possible cancellations,” he said.

What do you think about Aeroflot leasing the A320neos and A321neo? Please tell us your thoughts in the comments.



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