S7 Airlines signed a memorandum of intent with the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC, part of Rostec) for the supply of 100 upgraded Tu-214 passenger planes. This was reported on September 19 by the press service of Rustam Minnikhanov, the head of Tatarstan, and confirmed by an S7 representative to Vedomosti.
The signing took place at the Kazan Aviation Plant, a branch of PJSC Tupolev (part of UAC). The memorandum was signed by UAC CEO Yuri Slyusar and S7 owner Vladislav Filev, according to the press service of the head of Tatarstan.
An S7 representative told Vedomosti that the parties agreed to the intention to sign agreements defining the delivery schedule for the Tu-214 narrow-body, medium-range aircraft, volumes, and other key terms. He noted that by the end of this year, the airline intends to sign a contract with UAC for 10 aircraft in the standard specification, and by the end of 2025, another 90, but in a modified version tailored to S7’s requirements. The airline did not specify what those requirements entail.
The Tu-214 aircraft is a modified version of the Tu-204, a narrow-body, medium-range passenger plane developed in the late 1980s by Tupolev Design Bureau to replace the Tu-154. It can seat up to 210 passengers and has a maximum flight range of 6,500 km. It has been produced at the Kazan Aviation Plant named after S.P. Gorbunov since 1996 in a limited series for specific customers.
Due to sanctions imposed on the Russian aviation industry, restricting the supply of Boeing and Airbus aircraft, the authorities decided to resume mass production of the Tu-214. According to the comprehensive program for the development of the aviation industry, four of these planes are expected to be produced in Russia in 2025, and seven in 2026. A total of 115 aircraft are planned to be produced by the end of 2030. For comparison, the new Russian medium-range aircraft MC-21 is expected to have a production volume of 270 units by the same time.
S7 Airlines is Russia’s largest private airline, founded by Vladislav and Natalia Filev. The airline’s base airports are Moscow Domodedovo and Novosibirsk Tolmachevo. As of early September, S7’s fleet consisted of 58 Airbus A320/321 planes, 19 Boeing 737s, and 17 Embraer aircraft, according to the Federal Air Transport Agency’s operator registry.
Previously, S7 considered acquiring the MC-21 but postponed this decision for “better times,” according to a source close to a major airline, as reported by Vedomosti. The source noted that S7 has often taken an approach different from Aeroflot, which ultimately chose the MS-21. The source emphasized that for S7, choosing the Tu-214 is more reliable since these planes are already in production, while the MC-21 may still need several years of refinement.
The downtime of Airbus planes in S7’s fleet forces the airline to urgently look for new aircraft, as sanctions have severely restricted supply options, noted Elina Kuliyeva, senior director of corporate ratings at Expert RA. This need prevents S7 from considering the MC-21, as deliveries of these aircraft will primarily be focused on another major airline, Aeroflot, explained the expert.
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