To compare, a Tu-134 consumes up to 4 metric tons of fuel an hour whereas a larger Being 737 needs as little as 2.3 tons an hour.
Photo: Vasily Deryugin
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Tu-134 Out of Aeroflot’s Fleet
Aeroflot said Thursday it would stop operating its 14 Tu-134 regional jets before the end of the year. Some of the planes will be sold; some will be sent to the airline company’s subsidiaries. Boeining 737s are to be used to overcome the shortage of regional aircrafts until brand new Sukhoi Superjet 100s are delivered at the end of 2008. Industry analysts say that the withdrawal of old and fuel-consuming Tu-134s will help Aeroflot save some $11 million a year.
Aeroflot’s board of directors has endorsed the program of gradual replacement of Tu-134 planes. The company’s 14 jets will be out of operation by January 1, 2008, the airline’s press release says. The largest number of Tu-134s will be withdrawn after the summer season. Some of the aircrafts will be sold, some leased or handed to subsidiaries, Sergey Koltovich, Aeroflot’s development director, told Kommersant.
Each Tu-134 may cost up to $2 million after refurbishing, according to Andrey Martirosov, director general of the UTAir airline – Russia’s biggest operator of Tu-134 jets.
Aeroflot explains the decision by high expenses on fuel and servicing. To compare, a Tu-134 consumes up to 4 metric tons of fuel an hour whereas a larger Being 737 needs as little as 2.3 tons an hour. Aeroflot is going to lease Boeing 737s to ease the coming shortage until it starts operating new Sukhoi Superjet 100. The contract between Sukhoi and Aeroflot schedules the first delivery at the end of 2008.
Aeroflot was unable to name the exact economic effect of the withdrawal. But the company may save “from hundreds of thousand dollars up to $1.5 million a year for each plane,” Sergey Koltovich estimated.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of Feb. 16, 2007
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