Russian carrier Smartavia has reached a preliminary agreement to take 45 Yakovlev MC-21 twinjets for fleet modernisation.
The Arkhangelsk-based airline was formerly owned by Aeroflot before it was sold and rebranded as Nordavia, and subsequently evolved as a budget carrier under the Smartavia name.
It operates Boeing 737s and Airbus A320neos.
Smartavia and Yakovlev unveiled the fleet-renewal agreement during the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok.
“Replenishment of the airline’s fleet with new aircraft of this type will allow us to successfully implement a business strategy based on a smart approach to all elements of the company operating in the air transportation sector,” says Smartavia chief Sergei Lazarev.
Under the agreement – which aerospace firm United Aircraft describes as a “confirming intention” – the airline will take delivery of the 45 aircraft, under financial leases, to 2035.
No initial delivery date has been disclosed.
Yakovlev and Smartavia will hold negotiations with a leasing company which will acquire the MC-21s on the airline’s behalf.
“Smartavia Airlines has extensive experience in successfully operating foreign medium-haul airliners, which are being replaced by the MC-21,” says Yakovlev chief Andrei Boginsky.
He adds: “We have expanded the pool of future operators of the domestic airliner and once again confirmed the demand for our aircraft after 2030.”
While Yakovlev intended MC-21 operators to have a choice of powerplant, international sanctions mean only the Russian-built Aviadvigatel PD-14 is available.
