The Transaero airline has adjusted its plans for purchase of aircraft: the airline will receive Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental planes, which are well known on the market, in 2015 instead of four new Boeing 787 Dreamliner planes. The company says that they are "of significant interest in terms of commercial viability," writes Kommersant.
Transaero’s fleet already includes 20 Boeing 747 planes of the 400 modification. The 747-8 Intercontinental plane is an improved model that has been flying since 2011 and can carry up to 467 passengers over a distance of more than 15,000 kilometers. The list price is about USD 370 million.
Transaero has also postponed the delivery of six Sukhoi Superjet 100 planes of the base model to a later date. The airline’s contract with Sukhoi Civil Aircraft (SCAC) was estimated at USD 212 million (it could reach almost USD 570 million if the option for an additional 10 aircraft is exercised). Transaero planned to lease the Sukhoi Superjet 100 planes from the VEB-Leasing company and operate them on northwestern regional routes from its base in St. Petersburg.
Transaero’s passenger transport volume is growing at a rate that is slightly lower than the market rate: it grew by about 5% in the first seven months of 2014 (8% in July) while the transport volumes of the 35 largest companies in Russia grew by 11.4% to 52.2 million passengers in January-July.
The airline increased its fleet by more than half - from 47 to 100 aircraft - from 2010 to 2013. The company's fleet will now develop through new aircraft with high efficiency and large capacity.
