Volga-Dnepr airline is to take delivery of its tenth An-124-100 Ruslan this summer

Published: 4/25/2000

Following funding from Sherbank, the Russian state savings bank, last November, Volga-Dnepr has announced that it will take delivery of its tenth An-124-100 Ruslan from the Aviastar factory in Ulianovsk this summer. The funding allowed the completion of two Ruslans, with the second expected in 2001. This aircraft (RA82081) will be the first to have a lifetime of 24,000 flight hours and features the newly built ZMKB Progress D-18T engines, with a lifetime of 20,000 hours. It has also been fitted with the Orlan radio with 8.33 kHz channel spacing, the TCAS-2000 collision avoidance system, and the RSVM and BRNA-5 navigational sets. Volga-Dnepr has plans to display the aircraft at Farnborough 2000. In May 1999, Volga-Dnepr concluded agreements with ZAO Ruslan 003 on the lease of the aircraft RA82003 and then in August, finalised a similar deal with RosTekhImport on the RA82074. In June, the airline acquired an Il-76 (EW76737) from Belarus company GAK TransAvia Export. However, in a recent statement, Aleksei Isaikin, general director of Volga-Dnepr, said that the airline had given up any hope of acquiring some of the grounded RusAF An-124-100s because of bureaucratic struggles. According to the airline,Volga-Dnepr invested heavily in 1999 on flight safety measures and fleet improvements. Three Il-76TD were fitted with hushkits and new avionics to meet the latest requirements for flying in Western Europe. These planes also have the TCAS-2000 collision avoidance system, the Orlan radio and the Apollo-50 global positioning system. In 2000, the airline has plans to spend a further $15m on the modernisation of seven An-124-100s with new avionics and improved D-18T engines. Over the past year, the company was also reported to have reached agreement with the Antonov design bureau on extending the lifetime of four of its An-124-100s, which passed the 8,000 flight hours mark. Documentation on the extension of the Ruslan lifetime to 24,000 hours (in the form of a complimentary certificate) is being prepared and should be put in force later this year. Recent reports however, have suggested that the agreements may remain the subject of some debate with the governor of VD"s home region in Ulyanovsk suggesting that the Russian authorities should takeover responsibility for life time extentions. In the meantime, ZMBK Progress and Motor-Sich have already acquired a complimentary certificate for the D-18T engine for a lifetime extension to 20,000 hours. Associated articles: www.concise.org 18th April 2000:Goveror enters the into the fray over life extentions 6th April 2000: Volga-Dnepr gives up on the air force"s An-124-100s 12th November 1999: Sherbank gives loan for An-124s

Article ID: 1572