Aeroflot claims A330 wet-lease is first such agreement since Russian rule change

Aeroflot is claiming to be the first Russian carrier to introduce aircraft under wet-lease, following a change in the country’s air transport regulations. The airline has reached a preliminary agreement to take three Airbus A330s operated by Moscow-based Ifly. Ifly uses both A330-200s and -300s. Aeroflot says the Ifly wet-lease will bring to 15 the number of A330s in its fleet. It intends to use the aircraft on domestic services to destinations in eastern Russia, including Vladivostok, Khabarovsk, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. Aeroflot chief Sergei Alexandrovsky says the measure is a “timely and effective” solution to enable carriers to increase transport volume and improve accessibility to various regions. He says he expects wet-leasing to develop further and enable Russian carriers to lease aircraft from foreign airlines, to serve international routes. Wet-leasing had not been permitted in Russia until an amendment to the country’s Air Code in early August, which took effect on 1 September. Federal air transport regulator Rosaviatsia’s chief, Dmitry Yadrov, says wet-leasing is a “new mechanism” which will “contribute to the development of civil aviation” in Russia.<br/>