Russia's Aeroflot speeds fleet change, dumps Il-86
Tue Oct 24, 2006 7:34 AM ET
MOSCOW, Oct 24 (Reuters) - Russian airline Aeroflot <AFLT.RTS> <AFLT.MM> will speed up reform of its ageing fleet, it said on Tuesday, announcing plans to pull its nine fuel-thirsty Ilyushin Il-86 planes from service next month.
Aeroflot already flies planes from Airbus <EAD.PA> and U.S. planemaker Boeing Co. <BA.N>, and both manufacturers see potential for growth in Russia as airlines upgrade their fleets.
"Il-86 planes will not be in use starting November 15, and it is too costly to keep them through the winter and fly just two or three months in the summer," Aeroflot's Deputy Director General Igor Desyatnichenko told reporters.
He said the planes were fuel-guzzling and did not meet Europe's rigid noise and environmental standards.
Aeroflot is looking for potential buyers or lessees for its Il-86s, he said, but declined to give no further details.
The Il-86 has been in use since 1980 and was Russia's first wide-bodied airliner, making it more comfortable than most Soviet-designed planes.
With seating for up to 350 passengers, the Il-86 is used by Russian airlines for charter flights to carry tourists to popular resorts during the summer months.
Russia's airliner industry has withered since the Soviet Union's demise in 1991, with just 8 planes manufactured last year, according to the federal industry agency, compared with 378 delivered by Airbus, for example.
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