During the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF-2024), Aeroflot Group CEO Sergei Alexandrovsky outlined strategic adjustments to the company’s fleet renewal program. Key announcements included a revised delivery schedule for the MC-21-310 medium-range airliner and the discontinuation of plans to expand the Sukhoi Superjet 100 (SSJ100) fleet within Rossiya Airlines. Rossiya will also operate the MC-21 aircraft. These statements were made in an interview with RBC.
According to Alexandrovsky, Aeroflot Group has adjusted the planned delivery schedule for the MC-21-310. The airline now anticipates receiving 108 aircraft by 2030, a reduction from the previously announced 200. The remaining 92 aircraft are now scheduled for delivery between 2030 and 2032.
Aeroflot currently operates a fleet of 349 aircraft, including 59 wide-body aircraft, 212 narrow-body medium-range aircraft, and 78 regional Superjet 100 aircraft within Rossiya Airlines’ fleet. In September 2022, Aeroflot and the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), Russia’s main aircraft manufacturer, signed a memorandum of understanding for the supply of 339 domestically produced aircraft.
The original plan called for the delivery of 210 MC-21s, 89 SSJ100s, and 40 Tupolev Tu-214 aircraft by 2030. Alexandrovsky stated that Aeroflot has a firm order for only 18 MC-21s. Negotiations with UAC will soon commence to finalize contract terms for the remaining 90 aircraft scheduled for delivery before 2030.
Certification testing of the MC-21-310 is ongoing and is not expected to be completed before early fall 2026, with initial deliveries anticipated by the end of the year. Under the Comprehensive Civil Aviation Development Program, UAC is expected to manufacture and deliver 270 MC-21-310 aircraft to airlines by the end of 2030, with 31 aircraft slated for delivery to customers in 2026.
Alexandrovsky also stated that Aeroflot Group has no plans to expand its fleet with other types of Russian-made aircraft. “We have no plans to operate [new] Superjets. Aeroflot and Rossiya Airlines will operate the MC-21. Pobeda will retain its existing fleet of Boeing 737-800s,” Alexandrovsky declared.
Furthermore, the company considers the Tu-214 to be inefficient for its route network, focusing instead on fleet optimization and standardization of flight and maintenance personnel training. Previously, the Aeroflot CEO noted that the Tu-214 might be of interest to the airline after the aircraft’s cockpit is upgraded to a two-pilot configuration. The current version, which requires two pilots and a flight engineer, is economically unviable for the carrier.
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