Additional aircraft leased to boost air cargo business (175 words)

Published: 7/4/2001

Aeroflot has announced that it is to acquire four DC-10s on operating leases. The airline has found its position in the Russia air cargo market steadily eroded by a combination of high cost and an ageing fleet of Il-76s. It has also had to contend with substantial delays in the arrival of the Il-96T, which is now reported to be having its engines recovered by producer, Pratt &Whitney. The aircraft will replace a leased cargo DC-10 currently operated by Aeroflot that's lease ends in August. The additional aircraft should help Aeroflot to recover its share of the freight market, which has fallen steadily, as competition from carriers such as East Line have eroded its dedicated international transit business from Asia to Europe as opposed to freight on passenger flights. This decline has been hastened by the lack of availability among the airline's 12 Il-76s, of which only four or five are reported to be currently operational and these will be excluded by noise regulations from flying transit routes to Europe after April 2002.

Article ID: 2621