Short-list pits Boeing against Tupolev(619 words)

Published: 4/18/2001

In KrasAir's search for a 100-seat passenger airliner to serve its regional and major long-haul routes in low season, Aleksandr Boiko, chief of the airline's business development department has indicated that both the Tu-334D and the short-fuselage Boeing-737 are being considered, although the latter's attractiveness is considerably impacted by the 30% duty on imported aircraft. KrasAir already operates two-leased Tu-134 with a standard 76-seat cabin and one Tu-134VIP. As part of a networking programme with Krasnoyarsk-based carrier, SibAviaTrans (SIAT), KrasAir has withdrawn its 48-seat An-24 turboprops and is due to do the same to its Yak-40s and An-26s, in exchange for certain long-range routes. The latter cooperation being a family affair as Boris Abramovich a former General Director of SIAT became KrasAir's General Director in 1998, leaving this brother Aleksandr at the controls of the airline. The Tu-134s were leased for operation two years ago to service new routes and prevent the closure of increasingly unprofitable routes using Tu-154s. The Tu-134, was however, not the airline's first choice given that the levels of profitability remain low due to the aircraft's high fuel burn. It was therefore always seen as a stopgap measure until a more suitable aircraft could be identified and acquired. While the uncertified 102-seat Tu-334 is considered a good aircraft overall, it has insufficient ranges for KrasAir requirement of at least 3,500km range with full passenger load. This requirement will only be met by the longer-range Tu-334D variant. The Tu-334D also promises the airline greater flexibility in servicing routes, replacing the Tu-154 and Tu-204 on major routes in winter when volumes decline. During the summer, traffic on relatively long routes served by KrasAir double, while that on the shorter routes, served by KrasAir's partner SIAT, rises by 20%. According to the airline this is because the majority of passengers choose to travel by air on Siberian routes do so mainly for business, while vacationers normally travel by the cheaper surface transport to reach nearby major cities. The intra regional Siberian routes continue generate sufficient passenger flow to keep a 60% average load factor for SIAT's 48-seat An-24s and 30-seat Yak-40s. SIAT says that most of its scheduled routes can generate profit with careful planning. In spring 2001, SIAT maintains 7 scheduled Yak-40 flights and 25 An-24 flights per week, plus two on the Tu-134 from Krasnoyarsk to 14 destinations. From Norilsk it makes 12 weekly flights to seven destinations and 10 from other airports. SIAT was established as a start-up company in February 1995, beginning operations with two aircraft and a workforce of 40 people. A few months later SIAT began regular charters from Krasnoyarsk, Barnaul and Omsk to Germany with a leased Tu-154M. The airline is currently the twentieth largest Russian airline with over 250,000 passengers and 4,500 tonnes of cargo carried in 1999. Responsible for some 90% of air traffic within the Krasnoyarsk region, SIAT has recently launched operations from Murmansk. The current SIAT fleet includes a Hawker-700 business jet flying ad hoc charters from Sheremetyevo, one Tu-154M, nine Yak-40 passenger jets, ten An-24 passenger turboprops, one An-74-200 combi, two An-32 freighters and 12 Mi-8 helicopters. Leased Tu-134s have been added to the airline's growing network of scheduled routes including Murmansk-Moscow, Norilsk-Moscow and Norisk-Krasnoyarsk services. In addition to charters to Germany, the Tu-154M flies summer charters from Norilsk to Donetsk, Rostov, Sochi and other southerly cities, and sometimes replace Tu-134s on the scheduled routes to Moscow to cover summer peaks in traffic. The An-74 and An-32s fly charters between Siberian cities. The helicopters are employed on charter passenger and cargo flights, patrol services over wooded areas and medical flights.

Article ID: 2495