The venerable age of aircraft is one of the most common versions of air crashes. However, experts argue that there is simply no such thing as an "old aircraft", since civil aircraft are designed for 25-30 years of operation. At the same time, both the new and the "old" aircraft have completely identical flight performance and economic characteristics.
Throughout the entire service life, aircraft are constantly undergoing maintenance procedures, repairs and large-scale upgrades of operating systems.
After passing all the necessary procedures, even old aircraft approved for operation have absolutely functional systems. At the same time, they are practically no different from aircraft that have just come off the factory assembly line. For reference: the Russian airworthiness system is considered one of the most stringent and uncompromising technical control systems in the world.
The replacement of old aircraft is carried out by carriers in order to keep costs to a minimum. Modern aircraft use less fuel, require less maintenance and look more attractive. Liners aged 12 to 17 years are considered to be of the highest quality, since it is at this age that they acquire the best operating conditions.
Dangerous age of aircraft
According to world standards, the aircraft can be safely used for 30, 40 and even 50 years. However, most experts recommend to refrain from the further practice of purchasing used aircraft, because if they are not properly maintained and serviced, their equipment and systems can be in a deplorable state.
Each type of aircraft has a service life limit - they can be guaranteed to be 60,000 flight hours and 12,000 successful landings.
Thus, liners that have been flying for more than 30 years can be considered dangerous aircraft, but there is a very important feature here. An aircraft cannot be young or old - its unsuitability is determined solely by the exhausted resource. In this regard, you can fly even on an old liner, the resource of which is constantly updated by the air carrier.
According to numerous surveys of air passengers, it became known that people prefer to fly on new airliners. That is why most Russian airlines buy modern aircraft of domestic and foreign production, which not only replenish their fleet, but also replace the old models of the Soviet Union.
Which airlines are renewing their aircraft fleet
To attract passengers, each airline is trying to constantly update its fleet of aircraft, acquiring new comfortable aircraft.
Air carrier S7
This Russian company owns new A320neo aircraft it has purchased from Airbus. In total, the air carrier's fleet was replenished with 20 aircraft of this family, which began to be produced only 3 years ago.
These airliners received new economical engines, due to which the range of their flights and the degree of carrying capacity were significantly increased. When purchasing such aircraft, airlines can choose models with 2 types of engines - European and American production. The basic model A320neo, which can carry from 150 to 180 passengers, covers a distance of 6800 km, and is therefore used for international air traffic.
It should also be noted that S7 was one of the first in the Russian Federation to receive 2 Boeing 737 Max8s, but stopped producing them on the line after different countries world, there were 2 large-scale air crashes involving these ships.
Passengers who choose this carrier can see which aircraft they will be flying in when booking tickets.
Ural Airlines
This company has several A320neo aircraft and only one A321neo, but it never shows its customers which model of aircraft they will be flying, because. This information is not included on the tickets.
The A321neo aircraft of the A320 family have a slightly stretched fuselage and can carry from 150 to 180 people per long distance(up to 6800 km). They are mainly used for international flights, but 1 liner runs on the route Moscow - Blagoveshchensk.
Aeroflot company
In the company's fleet, the average age of ships is 5 years, but it has not yet acquired new aircraft. This year, Aeroflot management plans to buy a large long-haul Airbus A350 airliner, which will operate international flights.
This aircraft received a new wide fuselage, economical engines and flight stabilizers. In addition, passengers will see a new beautiful salon, in which 9 seats are placed in 1 row. This arrangement will be convenient for those passengers who travel in large groups and want to sit close to each other during the flight.
Air carrier "Aurora"
This is a subsidiary of Aeroflot, whose aircraft mainly fly to the Far East. In the park "Aurora" there are not a large number of new ships, but among them are the Airbus A319, as well as the machines of the Bombardier Dash series.
The Airbus A319 is a shortened version of the A320 and has a range of 6,800 km at full load. The economy class cabin can accommodate 156 people, while the business class cabin can accommodate 124 passengers.
Company "Victory"
This carrier boasts of its new fleet of aircraft, the average age of which does not exceed 3 years. It includes fairly new Boeing 737-800 narrow-body airliners, which are currently this moment have already been taken out of production.
The aircraft cabin has 189 seats for economy class passengers and 160 for business class customers. With a maximum load, it can cover a distance of 5400 km, therefore it is used both for flights within the country and for international communications.
The company will soon receive new improved Boeing 737MAX aircraft:
- Model 737MAX 7 will be able to transport from 130 to 170 people for a distance of 700 km.
- Model 737MAX 8 with a flight range of 6500 km is designed for 160-200 passengers.
- Model 737MAX 9 with an extended fuselage and a flight range of 6500 km. Can take on board from 180 to 200 people.
- The 737MAX 10 is the airliner with the longest fuselage. Accommodates 230 people. The aircraft is capable of delivering passengers to their destination, which is 6000 km from the point of departure.
Air carrier "Azimuth"
The fleet is dominated by the new Sukhoi Superjet-100 aircraft. This is the first airliner that was developed by Russian designers after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and the first passenger aircraft created using innovative digital technologies. The development of the vessel was carried out by a subsidiary of the Sukhoi aviation concern - " Civil aircraft Dry".
These vehicles are designed to transport a small number of people over a distance of 3000 to 4500 km.
Air carrier "Azur Air"
It makes international charter flights from Russia to various resort destinations. The fleet of this company consists mainly of the aircraft of the American company Boeing, the newest of which are:
- Model 737-900 can carry from 189 to 215 passengers over a distance of 5900 km.
- Model 757-200 with a range of 5550 km, seats in economy class 224 and 201 in business class.
- With 328 seats in economy class and 269 seats in business class, the 767-300 can cover a distance of 9,700 km.
- The 777-300 can carry up to 550 people in economy class and 479 passengers in business class for a distance of 11,000 km at maximum aircraft load.
The rest of the major Russian air carriers cannot boast of new comfortable airliners, because their fleet consists mainly of old An-24 models, with an average age of 25-30 years. In the future, they plan to purchase new aircraft of domestic and foreign production, which will replace Soviet aircraft that have served their operational life.
Surely, many used the flights of the Rossiya airline. But what kind of airline "Russia"? How did it come about and who owns it? This is a subsidiary. She has been them since November 16, 2011. Its fleet is not very large, however, it represents a fairly large variety.
Being one of the largest, its passenger traffic is increasing from year to year. In 2015 alone, about 4.7 million people were transported. Hub in - airport "Pulkovo", and in Moscow - "Vnukovo". Simferopol airport is also an additional hub.
Initially, it was the Pulkovo company. It was reorganized into "Russia" October 9, 2006. Thereafter, after 5 years, she became part of Aeroflot.
Previously included and Special Flight Detachment "Russia". This is an airline that transports exclusively the first persons of Russia. But then she left it, becoming an independent enterprise.
Stewardesses of the Rossiya company.
Not so long ago, it also included "Orenburg Airlines" and "Donavia". The company's policy is to satisfy the needs of the average consumer first. Now the firm almost 74 aircraft.
While continuing to be part of Aeroflot, it operates all flights under the Aeroflot name. It is also included in the Aeroflot Bonus system. You can read about what it is in.
To date, the company operates flights to 25 Russian cities and to the same number of destinations around the world. He also cooperates with the Zenit football club, with which they have signed an agreement.
The fleet of the company "Russia"
As noted above, the company's fleet has almost 74 liners. Of those aircraft that Rossiya Airlines has now, almost all of them are age 9-12 years.
You can see photos of the aircraft of the Rossiya company below. Most of them were purchased from other airlines.
The main characteristics of the aircraft company "Russia".
The largest number of aircraft from is Airbus A319-100. In total there are 26 models, 10 of which belonged to Donavia.
One of them painted in the corporate colors of the Zenit football team. In October 2014, a special competition was held for best design. It was won by Sergei Skrebnev. According to his sketches, in Holland, the plane was painted in new colors.
From Airbus, the company has 5 more Airbus A320-200s. All 5 aircraft belonged to the company from the very beginning.
Almost 30 other planes are Boeings. 15 Boeing 737-800 models, which previously belonged to Orenburg Airlines.
From the same company 1 Boeing 777-200. After the bankruptcy of Transaero, the fleet was replenished 9 Boeing 747-400s and 5 Boeing 777-300s. Some of them were registered in Ireland, and some - in Bermuda.
Until April 9, 2015, Rossiya still had 3 Boeing 767-300s, as well as AN-148, but following its anti-crisis program, the company abandoned them.
Boeing 777-300ER.
Also ordered - 5 Boeing 777-300ER, which used to belong to the airline "Emirates" and 20 more Sukhoi Superjet 100.
They were scheduled for transfer to Aeroflot, but then the decision was changed in favor of Rossiya.
Sukhoi SuperJet 100.
New design
Aircraft formerly owned by Orenburg Airlines and Donavia have yet to be repainted in new company colors, according to a completely new design. Some Airbuses and Boeings have already been made in this vein.
The fuselage is in bright red, then splitting into small geometric shapes towards the wings.
Behind them, by the way, real small wings are drawn. At the nose of the aircraft, the name of the company is indicated - “Russia”.
Flying trash. The age of the planes of the airlines of the world
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The passenger A320 that died on March 24, 2015 in the south of France was 24 years old. One and a half hundred people died ... ((((... The aircraft belonged to the German airline German Wings, the maintenance of the board was carried out by the technical personnel of Lufthansa, which owns this airline.
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The question arises: 24 years for an aircraft - is it a lot or a little? And what is the real situation with the age of aircraft in the global industry of passenger air transportation?
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More recently, things were such that all reputable airlines usually got rid of liners older than 12-15 years. And these planes were purchased cheaply by many countries, including Russia.
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The average age of German Wings aircraft in 2015 is already 9 years.
Is it a lot or a little?
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According to 2012 data, German Wings had only 7 years of average age and - 38th place in the ranking of the average age of the fleet of 100 airlines in the world.
http://letaem-vmeste.livejournal.com/52213.html
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The rating is divided into three sectors - Green, Orange, Red
Green sector: aircraft under 10 years old.
Orange sector: aircraft aged 10 to 15 years.
Red sector: aircraft over 15 years old
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The rating is interesting. Last - 100th place UTair airlines(Russia) - 20 years.
At number 95 is Transaero Airlines (Russia) - 15.3 years.
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The following airlines are nearby:
90. Thomas Cook UK (UK) - 14.1 years
91. El Al (Israel) - 14.5 years
92. Monarch Airlines (UK) - 14.7 years
93. American Airlines (USA) - 15 years
94. Condor (Germany) - 15.1 years
95. Transaero (Russia) - 15.3 years.
96. ExpressJet (USA) - 15.4 years
97. Pakistan Int. Airlines (Pakistan) - 16.3 years
98. Delta Air Lines (USA) - 16.7 years
99. Air Transat (Canada) - 16.7 years
100. UTair (Russia) - 20 years.
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Slightly higher in this list - the place at number 85 belongs to Lufthansa (Germany) - 12.6 years!
It is clear that since 2012, in the context of the crisis, the Lufthansa fleet has not rejuvenated at all.
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FOR REFERENCE.
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The first places of the specified rating
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1. IndiGo (India) - 2.4 years
2. Wizz Air (Hungary) - 3.7 years
3. Virgin America (USA) - 3.8 years
4. Pegasus (Turkey) - 3.9 years
5. Virgin Australia (Australia) - 4 years
6. Ryanair (Ireland) - 4.4 years
7. EasyJet (UK) - 4.4 years
8. AirAsia (Malaysia) - 4.4 years
9. Xiamen Airlines (China) - 4.7 years
10. Spirit Airlines (USA) - 4.8 years
11. Copa Airlines (Panama) - 4.8 years
12. Etihad Airways(UAE) - 4.9 years
13. Shenzhen Airlines (China) - 5 years
14. LAN Airlines (Chile) - 5.1 years
15. JetStar Airways (Australia) - 5.1 years
16. Norwegian (Norway) - 5.2 years
17. Aeroflot (Russia) - 5.3 years
18. Qatar Airways (Qatar) - 5.3 years
19. Gulf Air (Bahrain) - 5.5 years
20. Shandong Airlines (China) - 5.6 years
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Tip: if you have the time and opportunity, read not only the reviews of angry passengers about the quality of food on board, but at least something related to the technical condition and types of aircraft of your carrier.
Age of aircraft of Russian airlines as of April 2013
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The updated rating as of November 19, 2013 is ready. Link to the updated rating http://letaem-vmeste.livejournal.com/99896.html
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Do you want to know which airlines are transporting you on new planes? We present to your attention another updated rating of the largest Russian airlines, ranked by the age of their fleet. Taking into account global trends in the formation of air fleets, the rating is conditionally divided into 3 ranges: green (young fleet, up to 10 years old), orange (middle-aged fleet, from 10 to 15 years old) and red (outdated age fleet, over 15 years old).
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Over the past six months since the previous publication of the rating, only 2 subsidiaries of Aeroflot have achieved serious success in the renewal of the fleet. Due to the withdrawal of 20-year-old Boeing-737s and the receipt of 6-year-old A-319 and A-320, Rossiya Airlines reduced the average age of its fleet by 2 years at once and switched to the green range. Similar operations allowed Donavia to reduce the average age of aircraft in operation by 4 years and move from red to orange.
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Aeroflot - 5.7 years
Taimyr (NordStar) - 8.6 years
Siberia - S7 (including Globe) - 9.4 years
Red Wings - 9.5 years
Russia - 9.7 years
Ak Bars Aero - 10.7 years
Vladivostok Air - 11.3 years
Ural Airlines - 12.7 years
Severstal - 12.9 years
Donavia - 13 years old
Yamal - 13 years
RusLine - 13.1 years
Colavia (TUI) - 13.5 years
iFly - 13.9 years old
Orenburg Airlines - 13.9 years
North Wind (Nord Wind) - 14.4 years
Tatarstan - 14.8 years
Transaero - 15.5 years
Flight - 16 years
Muscovy - 16.4 years
Gazpromavia - 16.9 years
Yakutia - 19.7 years
UTair (including UTair-Express) – 20.1 years
VIM-avia - 21 years old
Sakhalin air routes - 22.2 years
Nordavia - 24.8 years
Tulpar - 25.1 years
Saratov Airlines - 25.4 years
Grozny Avia - 25.7 years
Izhavia - 29 years old
Alrosa - 30.4 years
Angara - 30.5 years
Iraero - 30.5 years
Tomskavia - 37.2 years
Polar Airlines - 37.8 years
Most of the aircraft flying in Russia are no older than their analogues used abroad. However, 17.7% of the aircraft fleet are old aircraft, many of which have exhausted their resources and have problems with parts. Another disadvantage of the domestic market is problems with service and supervision, which is why almost the entire Russian fleet is registered in third countries
Photo: Transport-Photo Images
It became the largest disaster in the history of Russian aviation. The day after the tragedy of the Kogalymavia (Metrojet) Airbus 321, which killed 224 people, the Russian investigation opened two criminal cases under the articles “providing services that do not meet safety requirements” and “violating flight safety rules or training for them” . The searches took place at the carrier's office, Domodedovo, Samara airport, where the aircraft was refueled. State Duma deputies immediately called for a ban on the operation of aircraft over 15 years old (Airbus Kogalymavia was 18 years old) and the deprivation of the license of carrier companies with a small number of aircraft. The head of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs, Alexei Pushkov, said that it leads to plane crashes. Deputies put forward similar initiatives after the crash of a 23-year-old Boeing 737 in Kazan on October 17, 2013. Then, as now, the public ignored the statements of airlines and industry experts who argued that an aircraft is not a machine and 20 years of operation for it is not such a long time.
Both aircraft - Boeing in Kazan and Airbus over Sinai - were operational according to the latest data. The Kazan disaster, as the commission of inquiry decided, the Egyptian one, was recognized as a terrorist attack three weeks later. Suspicions of the poor condition of aircraft flying in Russia, however, have not evaporated. RBC analyzed the fleet of Russian companies operating regular and charter passenger flights and found out how justified the suspicions of wear and tear.
How we thought
The list of valid airworthiness certificates of the Federal Air Transport Agency as of October 22, 2015 (that is, aircraft that are allowed to fly in Russia), data from the official websites of carriers and Internet resources airfleets.com, russianplanes.net and flightradar24.com was taken as a basis. We excluded from the complete list small aircraft (private jets), local airlines (practical range less than 1000 km, mainly An-2), helicopters, business jets, as well as all aircraft not used for passenger transportation - for example, cargo and agricultural. The sample also did not include aircraft that are not used to transport passengers for commercial purposes: for example, the air fleet of the Air Force, the Ministry of Emergencies and the special squad for the transportation of top officials (SLO Rossiya), as well as aircraft owned by aircraft manufacturing plants. The lists we received with detailed information about each aircraft were sent to all operating airlines with a request to confirm the correctness of the data we collected. All responses were included in the analysis results.
Our statistics also included aircraft of the second largest Russian airline, Transaero. was adopted on October 1, and on October 26, the company lost its air operator certificate and ceased operations. The Transaero fleet is in the process of being returned to lessors: Aeroflot, which has got part of the airline's routes, may receive several dozen cars, the rest will be sold on the market or written off. Taking into account the entire fleet of Transaero in the sample (according to open data as of October, this is 122 aircraft), we were guided by the fact that most of it could be transferred to other Russian operators, and the composition of the fleet reflects the economic model of the largest private Russian carrier.
What will happen to the huge fleet of Transaero, the second carrier after Aeroflot in terms of the number of aircraft (one of them is in the photo), is still unclear (Photo: TASS)
Which models are chosen
The most popular family in Russia is the medium-haul Airbus 320 (A320, A319 and A321): 249 such aircraft are allowed to fly in the country. In second place with 203 sides is the medium-haul Boeing 737 family, whose flights were recently asked to be suspended by the Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC).
According to our data, there are only 130 long-haul aircraft in Russia, of which 76.6% are Boeing 747, 767 and 777 models.
There is no definition of a medium-haul aircraft in Russian legislation. In the world, it is customary to include vehicles with a flight range of more than 2.5 thousand km into this category. Long-haul vehicles in Russia are those with a flight range of more than 8,000 km.
Not so long ago, Airbus became the leader among aircraft flying on medium-haul routes in Russia. The Big Four companies - Aeroflot, S7, UTair, Transaero - divided their preferences in 2013, explains Andrey Kramarenko, a researcher at the Institute of Transport Economics and Transport Policy at the Higher School of Economics. The first two chose Airbus, the second - Boeing. Now Transaero has stopped flights, and UTair has significantly reduced its fleet.
Two competing aircraft manufacturers provide most of the world's aircraft fleets. According to the data of the international organization Center for Aviation (CAPA, Australia) for April 2013, 39.7% of all ships operated in the world are Boeing aircraft and 28.7% - Airbus. Russia is no exception. Aircraft of the two companies occupy 61.7% Russian park 14.3% - other foreign aircraft (Embraer, Bombardier, De Havilland Canada, Let, ATR).
Domestic aircraft account for only 24% of the total fleet of Russian carriers. Moreover, for modern models - An-148, Tu-204, Tu-214 and Sukhoi Superjet - only 6.3%. The remaining 17.7% are old modifications of the An, Tu and Yak, most of which flew back in the USSR. "But in terms of passenger traffic the share of these machines is less than 5%,” adds Alexander Fridlyand, professor at the Moscow State Technical University of Civil Aviation.
Sukhoi Superjet is the leader in terms of number of modern Russian models: domestic airlines have 39 such aircraft. RBC),” says Fridland. According to him, for local and regional routes it is large, and on main routes with good passenger traffic it is inferior to economical cars with 150-200 seats. “His niche is the main, but weak in terms of flows directions,” the interlocutor believes.
An-24 has not been produced since 1979, but there are 67 more such aircraft in the fleet of Russian companies (Photo: Transport-Photo Images)
Of the Soviet aircraft, the An-24 airline fleet has the most - 67 aircraft. A turboprop passenger aircraft for short and medium haul lines was developed by the Antonov Design Bureau (KB) in the late 1950s. The maximum capacity is up to 52 passengers. It is operated mainly by Russian regional companies (RBC considers those who do not make long-haul flights, flights through the capital's air hub and are not based in Moscow and St. Petersburg). “An-24 is the only aircraft in the world of this class that lands on the ground, on packed snow or on ice,” recalls the Honored Pilot of the USSR, President of the Infrastructure Development Fund air transport Oleg Smirnov. He flew all over airspace The USSR and in the current conditions in the Far North is practically irreplaceable.
Now the An-24 continues to be used by companies based in the north: Polar Airlines, Yakutia, Chukotavia. So far, it is impossible to replace it en masse with foreign models. First, foreign-made aircraft that could land at the airfields in these regions can accommodate fewer passengers, Kramarenko explains. In addition, the technical documentation for them is on English language, which is not owned by all pilots and personnel of the An-24. However, during 2012-2013, Yakutia leased five Bombardier Dash 8 aircraft with a capacity of 70 to 80 seats. In addition to Bombardier, Canadian De Havilland Canada 6 Twin Otters fly in the Aeroflot subsidiary of the Far Eastern airline Aurora. Most likely, in the coming years, all An-24s will be replaced by foreign aircraft, “because they run out of their resource and it will become extremely difficult and expensive to maintain their airworthiness,” predicts Dmitry Mirgorodsky, partner at the consulting company Concuros, former vice president of Sukhoi Civil Aircraft. There are no replacements for their domestic counterparts.
The second most popular among Soviet aircraft is the Yak-42: there are 33 such aircraft in the fleet of Russian airlines. However, several of them are in storage: some are waiting for the replacement of parts, some will no longer rise into the air. Cars are included in the parks of Gazpromavia, Grozny Avia, Izhavia, Saratov Airlines. The last company started flying Brazilian Embraer 190s two years ago.
How old are airplanes in Russia
As the study showed, on average in Russia, the age of foreign models is less than their resource, while our aircraft are often older. According to Andrey Sharypov, head of the department for certification of civil aviation ships of the State Research Institute of Civil Aviation, for foreign aircraft it is about 40-60 thousand hours, that is, 30 years. For the Soviets it was less - about 20 years. The manufacturer can extend the resource individually for each vessel.
For example, the average age of the Boeing 737 Classic generation (modifications 300, 400, 500) in Russia is 20.2 years. Generations Boeing 737 Next Generation (modifications 600, 700, 800, 900) - 9.1 years. Modifications Airbus 320 - 7.5 years, A319 - 11.9 years (see infographic). These figures are not much different from the global average. The Dutch airline KLM, according to planespotters.net, Boeing New Generation on average fly at the age of 9.3 years. The American low-cost airline Southwest Airlines, according to USA Today and airfleets.net, is 9.7 years old. Boeing 737 Classic cars (modifications 300, 400 and 500) of this airline are on average over 22 years old.
As for Airbus, the A320 fleet of the German Germanwings is 23 years old. The American Delta, which flies with Aeroflot in the Skyteam alliance, has 20.7 years. Delta's A319 aircraft are 13.8 years old.
The oldest model of aircraft flying in Russia is the An-24. On average, they are 42.1 years old. The average age of another Soviet Yak-42 aircraft still in operation is 24.7 years.
Soviet aircraft and modern Russian ones (with the exception of the Sukhoi Superjet), unlike foreign ones, have problems with details. Mass production of such machines has been stopped, so you have to order components by the piece, which costs many times more, says Sergey Koval, deputy head of the department for monitoring and verifying the authenticity of the Civil Aviation Research Institute. As a result, parts with forged documents are sometimes put on Soviet cars. According to Koval, up to 8% of illegal parts are now on the market, and from 2001 to 2015, 50 serious incidents occurred due to problems with parts (incidents with planes and helicopters are taken into account).
What happened to the Soviet design bureaus
The Saratov Aviation Plant, which produced the Yak aircraft, is bankrupt and completely liquidated. design bureaus that developed Soviet aircraft- Design Bureau Tupolev and Design Bureau Yakovlev (now part of the United Aircraft Corporation) - continue to exist mainly by escorting the remaining ships in operation, says Koval. Antonov Design Bureau (now the Antonov State Enterprise) is located in Ukraine.
The age of the aircraft, according to professionals, does not affect its technical condition and airworthiness. “As a commander of a ship, I don’t ask: will you give me an old plane or will I fly on a new one, this doesn’t interest me at all,” Smirnov explains. The main thing is whether the aircraft underwent maintenance and repairs on time throughout its life. In addition, every detail of the aircraft has its own resources. By the time, Smirnov says, "the plane is 17 years old, these parts can be replaced several times."
The study showed that 58.7% of the aircraft in the Russian fleet had only one or two operators. And more than ten air carriers that have replaced each other - in the luggage only 3% of the boards. And in many cases, two of the same companies used the aircraft in turn. So, for example, the Izhavia aircraft had a Yak-42: according to airfleets.net, if you take into account the alternation of the same carriers, it changed 20 operators in 28 and a half years. According to Smirnov, professionals are distrustful of an aircraft that previously flew "in countries with high humidity, such as Africa." However, both the lessor and the owner are obliged to put such a car in order. In this regard, the lessor, and not the previous operator, is important for the technical condition of the aircraft, the expert believes.
As a rule, carriers abandon aircraft for economic reasons, and not because of the end of its resource, according to a study by the leasing company Avalon (offices in the US, Ireland, Dubai, Singapore and China). In Russia, foreign and new domestic aircraft models cease to be used at the age of 20-23, says HSE researcher Kramarenko. Global figures, according to Avalon research, are similar.
Airline age preferences
Russian airlines with the oldest fleet use Soviet aircraft. Among carriers with ten or more sides, the oldest fleet - 41.2 years - belongs to the Turukhan company, which is part of the UTair group. It mainly operates charter flights, including for mining companies. But Turukhan also has regular flights, so its aircraft were included in our study.
In total, there are 16 companies in Russia that operate aircraft older than 25 years for regular and charter flights (see table).
The youngest park is at Pobeda, which has recently started working as a subsidiary of Aeroflot. Her sides are only a year old. Aeroflot, on the other hand, has an average fleet age, according to RBC calculations, of 4.6 years. The planes of Transaero, which stopped flying, were on average 18.6 years old (the S7 fleet - 9.2 years, and UTair - 14 years). In 2005-2008, many Russian airlines, including the Big Four carriers, when fuel prices went up, massively upgraded their fleet, preferring aircraft with lower fuel consumption. In particular, this explains the rather young fleet of foreign aircraft in Russia, Friedland notes.
On April 1, 2001, the standards of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) came into force, establishing reduced engine noise levels for aircraft flying in Europe. Almost all Soviet and Russian aircraft of that time did not fall under the new criteria: Tu-134, Tu-154B, Tu-154M, Il-62, Il-86. Thus, airlines that actively flew to Europe and transited over European countries were forced to change their old noisy cars to new imported ones.
Low-cost carrier Pobeda is the youngest Russian air carrier with the youngest fleet. Their Boeing is only a year on average (Photo: TASS)
A significant fork between the average age of aircraft different companies exist abroad. According to the Bloomberg rating, compiled in January 2013, the American Delta has an average age of 15.8 years, Southwest Airlines - 14.7, Aeromexico - 15.2, Lufthansa - 12.4, Air France - 11.5, Ryanair - five years.
Each company chooses for itself what is more cost-effective for it: a new or old aircraft, Mirgorodsky emphasizes. For example, buying a new Boeing 737-800 will cost about $48-55 million. The same ten-year-old model will already cost $16-18 million, says Alexander Kochetkov, head of the Gold "nsky Leasing leasing company. But old aircraft also require maintenance costs. Not all companies can afford to pay such amounts at a time - they have to lease cars.In Russia, according to Ilyushin Finance Co., at least 80% of aircraft in operation are leased.
This is exactly what the largest market player, Aeroflot, is doing, which is going to enter the top 20 global air carriers in terms of revenue and passenger traffic by 2025. For the sake of this goal, the airline has been not only increasing, but also refreshing its fleet for several years now, General Director Vitaly Savelyev repeatedly said in his interviews. “It is difficult to compete on the world market on an old aircraft,” Mirgorodsky explains the strategy. Aeroflot also gives older models to its subsidiaries - the airlines Aurora, Orenburg Airlines, Donavia, Rossiya.
But many companies do not even have enough money to lease new aircraft. Transaero, for example, which dreamed of ousting its state competitor, due to expensive debt financing, as she herself admitted in her financial reporting, built up the fleet with cheap foreign and old cars, Vedomosti wrote. After the devaluation of the ruble at the end of last year, leasing for Russian companies has risen in price even for old aircraft (leasing payments are made in foreign currency. — RBC), adds Mirgorodsky. According to Kochetkov's estimates, leasing a new Boeing 737-800 costs an average of $4.2 million per year, and about $2 million for a ten-year one.
