© Sipa
Out of a total order of 22 planes, the Russian company received only six. Two new aircraft are immobilized in France following international sanctions.
On February 28, 2020, Aeroflot took delivery with fanfare of the very first A350-900 to roll off the assembly lines in Toulouse, becoming the launch company for the jumbo jet, which has since become the European’s best-seller in its category. The Russians intended their fleet of A350-900s to serve prestigious destinations departing from Moscow, such as Miami, London, Tokyo. They had chosen a version of 316 passengers including 28 private suites, equipped with the latest generation Panasonic screens, wifi, and a Rolls-Royce engine promising a 25% reduction in fuel consumption.
Aeroflot has so far received only six of a total order of 22 aircraft. In recent weeks, two brand new aircraft ordered by the Russians have come out of the Toulouse chains. They never reached Moscow but ended up on the tarmac at Châteauroux airport. “The physical transfer of the two planes was not possible following international sanctions”, explains the industrialist. In the wake of Boeing, the group led by Guillaume Faury announced in early March that it would stop delivering aircraft, spare parts and all services to Russia.
Aeroflot should not be penalized by the unavailability of its new jumbo jets. All of its long-haul planes are grounded. Airbus did not want to specify the financial agreement negotiated with the Russians. But any delivery ” missed “ is bad news for the aircraft manufacturer. Since the start of the year, it has delivered 140 planes, including 63 in March, less than the same period in 2021.
