Aeroflot had initially planned to finance the A350 transaction through a buy-and-lease-back arrangement with Vneshtorgbank (VEB), one of the banks now under sanction. With the sanctions showing no signs of easing, Airbus might need to push Aeroflot to secure alternative financing options. However, Andreas Kramer, Airbus’s Vice President for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, downplayed the concerns, noting that financing decisions typically occur closer to delivery. “A financier is often chosen five to six months before delivery, so it is too early to speak of it,” Kramer emphasized.

 

Despite the ongoing economic challenges facing Russia, exacerbated by the situation in Ukraine and tightening U.S./EU sanctions, Airbus remains optimistic about the future of Russian air travel. Kramer highlighted Airbus’s projection of a 5.9 percent annual growth rate in Russian passenger traffic, which, if realized, would double within the next 12 years, necessitating the acquisition of around 1,300 new jetliners.

 

The arrival of Airbus’s A350-900 flight-test article MSN 005 at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport on August 12 marked a significant moment. The event coincided with the airport’s 55th anniversary and provided Airbus with an opportunity to showcase the A350XWB to its Russian airline customers. “We are in Moscow to show the A350XWB to our airline customers and to demonstrate that it can operate without any additional airport equipment,” Kramer stated. He also highlighted the Russian engineering contributions to the A350, particularly in shaping the airplane’s fuselage sections at Airbus’s Moscow engineering center.

 

Aeroflot remains one of the 38 airlines on the A350XWB buyers’ list, with its initial order for 22 aircraft placed back in 2007. However, the airline has yet to finalize its decision on which models to take, particularly in light of Airbus’s decision to drop the original A350-800 design in favor of the more spacious XWB variant. Aeroflot’s deputy general director and head of flight operations, Igor Chalik, noted that the decision would depend on how Aeroflot’s network of routes evolves. “So the choice [of a model] is not something for today; we can make it later, not now,” Chalik explained.

 

As Aeroflot continues to weigh its options, including considering the A330neo as a potentially less expensive alternative, the airline’s path forward remains uncertain. Earlier this year, Aeroflot replaced its Ilyushin Il-96-300s with Airbus A330-300s and Boeing 777s for long-haul operations. However, the A350XWB is still seen as the natural successor to the Il-96-300, given its similar fuselage cross-section and seating arrangement.