Putin ally said to be eyeing stake in Russian carrier Aeroflot

A childhood friend and judo sparring partner of Russian president Vladimir Putin is looking to buy half of the state’s controlling stake in airline monopoly Aeroflot, according to three people familiar with the issue.<br/>Putin is sympathetic to Arkady Rotenberg’s attempts to obtain a 25% stake in Aeroflot, which currently has a total market value of Rbs69bn ($970m), two of the people said. Another person close to Aeroflot said management was aware of Rotenberg’s ambitions. If carried through, such a move would raise concerns over the transparency of the government’s drive to privatise several big state-owned groups to plug a widening hole in Russia’s budget. Any deal that would give Rotenberg a significant say in running Aeroflot would make Putin vulnerable to criticism he is allowing the rise of a new oligarchy. Rotenberg denied the claims. “We are not planning to acquire any stake in Aeroflot,” said a spokesman for him. Aeroflot declined to comment. Rotenberg and his brother Boris amassed fortunes during Putin’s presidency by winning contracts for major state projects, often through opaque, no-bid tenders. Numerous formal hurdles remain to the privatisation process, and Rotenberg could still decide not to pursue a stake. But Putin approves of Mr Rotenberg’s attempt to increase his influence over the air sector, according to a source knowledgeable about his efforts. “It’s entirely logical,” the person said. “They own the terminal, they own the runway, so why shouldn’t they own the planes flying there?”<br/>