Russia's Orient Avia is getting the best out of its Ilyushin Il-62 airliners.
Paul Duffy/MOSCOW
THE COMMONLY HELD belief that Russian and ex-Soviet civil aircraft are not able to achieve the high utilisation levels of Western airliners has been challenged by the experience of Orient Avia, whose first two Ilyushin Il-62s logged 7,000h during 1995.
The Moscow-based airline was founded in mid-1994, although director general Amiran Kurtanidze had spent the previous year concentrating on two tasks to establish a solid basis for operation. Firstly, he spent three months studying Western airlines, noting the different approaches to those of Russian airlines. Then he set about building a team of suitable investors for his new company.
Drawing on 20 years of experience working for the old Soviet national airline, he persuaded Aeroflot-Russian International Airlines (ARIA) to invest a 10% share in Orient. Next on board was Vladivostok city council because the city, located on Russia's pacific coast, was anxious to develop traffic and tourism. The Kazan Aircraft Production Factory, manufacturer of the Il-62M, also became a shareholder.
In August 1994, the first of Orient Avia's new Il-62Ms was delivered. A second new aircraft arrived in the second quarter of 1995, entering service in May, and a third arrived by the end of the year. A fourth, a low-time aircraft, which had previously served with the Czech Government and, which had been virtually rebuilt by the factory, was due before the end of April this year. Two more are expected to follow, both new.
AVAILABLE SUPPORT
"New aircraft, whether they are Boeings or Ilyushins, should always be more reliable," says Kurtanidze. He believes that the ability to achieve high flight hours is not a problem provided that the right support is available. "If they are well maintained, and have a good spares back-up, they can fly equally as much."
With the Kazan factory as part of the team, Orient has secured the support of a manufacturer. Twenty-five of the airline's own line engineers have been joined by up to ten from the factory and, as the factory is also the major spares provider for everything except the engines, an adequate spares supply is available too.
By the time of its inaugural flight, on 3 October 1994, the airline had worked out a strategy. With ARIA catering for the low-cost market, Orient has aimed for the business and first-class traveler, and for economy-class passengers willing to pay a bit more for service levels more usually found on Western airlines. The Il-62Ms are fitted with 138 seats - domestic Il-62Ms are usually 170 seaters. On some aircraft, a better, more contoured seat has been installed. A choice of menus is offered - two for economy, up to five for first class. Cabin crews, have been trained by Orient instructors, who have been trained in France and Ireland.
Orient has also aimed for scheduled flights, not the charter and holiday services offered by most non-Aeroflot Russian carriers.
The first service, which the airline operated, was a daily return linking Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport with Vladivostok, with just one Il-62M and a return block time of 17.5h, which seemed to be ambitious. Engineers in both cities were helped, however, by Orient purchasing diagnostic equipment from Switzerland to monitor engine condition.
The second Il-62M entered service in June 1995, allowing one extra flight a week to be flown to Vladivostok, four a week to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatka (from Moscow), and a twice-weekly Vladivostok-Phattaya, Thailand service on which Orient Intourist (a joint venture between Orient and the Russian tour company Intourist) takes 100 seats, leaving 38 available for sale.
By the end of 1995, the two Il-62Ms in service had logged over 7,000h between them. Two engines were replaced in the year, neither involving any operational delays. Well over 4,000h, were flown on the first aircraft, and some 2,500h on the second.
This is not the first time that ex-Soviet aircraft have achieved such times: the Department of Air Transport says that in the 1970s and 1980s, Il-62s of Domodedovo often achieved 4,000h a year, and Tupolev says that Yugoslav carrier Aviogenex regularly flew its Tu-134s for 3,500h a year. Until now, however, these data were never available. Recently, utilisation of this sort appears not have been possible.
Orient is paying attention to costs as well as to flying hours. Fuel costs $200 per tonne in Moscow and $400 in the far east of Russia. So Orient's aircraft leave Moscow at or close to maximum take off weight (MTOW). An Il-62M can carry up to 87t of fuel. Kurtanidze says that at MTOW, fuel consumption in the flight east can be 2-3t higher because of the extra weight, but the uplift in the east is only 50t, whereas the former Aeroflot airlines are picking up 70-74t. The money saving is worthwhile.
FLIGHT ECONOMICS
"We have studied our flight economics and found that a slightly nose-up attitude reduces fuel burn. We also seek higher levels as fuel burn reduces the aircraft's weight. Aeroflot usually flies at 10,000m [32,800ft], but we climb to 12,000m when we can. On the return flight, we take enough fuel to take account of en route winds and weather, plus 1.5h reserve, which so far we've rarely needed."
With the introduction of the third Il-62M in March, the airline started a Vladivostok-St Petersburg service, and will follow that with a Vladivostok-Kiev route, then Vladivostok- Singapore and Moscow-Magadan.
Kurtanidze continues: "We are now awaiting a decision from the US authorities to operate Vladivostok-Honolulu. All our aircraft are fitted with TCAS [traffic-alert and collision-avoidance system] and global-navigation systems".
Kurtanidze says that the airline will shortly take delivery of its first Tu-134. "We have bought four aircraft, plus an extensive range of spares from pre-Baltic airlines (the first two from Lithuanian Airlines). Although they were not due for a major overhaul, we wanted trouble-free aircraft, so we had one done anyway." He explains that Tu-134s rather than the Boeing 737 or the McDonnell Douglas DC-9 were chosen because technical support for the type is available at Sheremetyevo.
He adds that the Tu-134s will begin to fly from Moscow to Lvov and Kishinev in April and to Anapa and Antalya (in Turkey) in May. Current schedules call for 111 block hours a week but, says the director, this will grow.
Until now, Orient has marketed its flights mainly through ARIA, but it will shortly come on-line in the Gabriel flight-reservation system and has recently joined the airline industry's international communications network, SITA - moves designed to widen its customer base.
At the moment, Orient and Kazan are working to set up finance to market the Rolls-Royce- powered Tupolev Tu-204/Tu-224. Kurtanidze says: "We see a good future for Orient with this aircraft. Its 7,000km [3,800nm] range is ideal for us, and will allow us to seek extra work for our Il-62Ms, which the 224 will replace on our long-range domestic services."
In 1995, Orient carried 95,800 passengers and 860t of cargo, considerably up on the 11,000 and 60t of its three months operations in 1994. More impressive was, the 667 million passenger kilometres in 1995, compared to 77 million the previous year, indicating that each passenger averaged 6,950km on the airline.
"Safety is our top priority: then comes quality of service and value for money," says Kurtanidze - definitely a change of emphasis for most Russian airlines.
Source: Flight International
