Airbus and Boeing have submitted their proposals to Aeroflot for its long-range airliner requirement, but the airline does not expect to complete its selection until later this year or early next, writes Vladimir Karnozov.
The Russian flag carrier says its board of directors will consider the proposals this month, with Airbus offering the A350 and Boeing the 787. Boeing is widely considered favourite because of the earlier delivery slots available for the 787-8 compared with the A350. Early delivery slots are important for Aeroflot as its operating leases for its Boeing 767-300ERs expire between 2010 and 2011.
Craig Jones, Boeing vice-president for CIS sales, says the manufacturer has offered Aeroflot 787 deliveries starting in 2010, but is trying to find earlier slots.
The first A350 variant, the -800, is not due to enter service until mid-2010 and sources say that Airbus can offer few if any deliveries before 2011.
“Aeroflot is seeking deliveries as early as possible,” says Jones. He adds that although the 2010 slots have been offered, Boeing is “trying to get earlier delivery positions and hopefully we can bring them even earlier”.
Although Airbus appears to be at a disadvantage from a delivery perspective, it is offering Russian industry a “full-right” partnership on the A350, which would include risk-sharing participation on the new twinjet.
The US manufacturer has combined the 787 offer with the airline’s requirement for secondhand Boeing MD-11 Freighters for its cargo arm. Since the airline began seeking MD-11Fs, the market has become extremely competitive with available aircraft being snapped up by major operators such as UPS.
Source: Flight International
