Often, when there is news about problems on the planes, their age is mentioned and, as a result, they are in poor condition. However, one is not really related to the other.

In July, a Jet2-owned Boeing 737 made two emergency landings in two weeks. The plane was forced to land in Barcelona on July 16 when it took off from Ibiza to Leeds. Twelve days later, on 28 July, he made another emergency landing in Frankfurt en route from Newcastle to Prague. The airline is investigating both incidents, but claims the passengers were not at risk on either flight.

Nevertheless, commentators quickly drew on the age of the aircraft, registered as G-CELI: it was built in 1986, that is, 31 years ago. But do old planes really fail more often?

No, says Patrick Smith, American pilot and author of the book “The Captain of the Ship Says. Questions, Answers and Observations of an Experienced Pilot. "

“Commercial aircraft are built for more or less indefinite lifespan, which is one of the reasons they are so expensive,” he commented. "It's okay for an airplane to stay in service for 25 years or more."

Smith argues that the longer airplanes operate, the more control they are subjected to. "The screening criteria are becoming more stringent," says Smith.

But if planes are built to last indefinitely, why do they retire in more than 30 years, or in many cases sooner?

Airplanes are sold, exchanged, or canned, not because they age and fall apart, but because they are not economical enough to operate, Smith said.

“Airplanes are tailored to specific roles and markets, and there is a delicate balance between whether they generate profits or losses. Poor performance means getting into the block quickly, Smith says. "For another carrier with different costs, routes and needs, the same plane can be profitable."

The declining economic value of an aircraft is generally related to its age, as well as new high-performance aircraft entering the market. Supporting older jets often makes less sense. The new aircraft are quieter, more comfortable and better equipped than their predecessors, and as a result, they are more comfortable for passengers.

So which carriers have the oldest aircraft? According to airfleets.net, a website that collects information on most of the major airlines, Delta Airlines has the oldest aircraft among the world's largest carriers. The average age of its aircraft is 17 years. The second and third places are occupied by Air Canada and United Airlines, the average age of the aircraft is 14.2 and 14.1 years, respectively.

The most recent aircraft, oddly enough, are from Aeroflot. On average, they are used for only 4.2 years. Hainan Airlines and China Eastern Airlines have the second and third youngest aircraft with an average age of 4.9 and 5.3 years respectively.

The data provided is approximate and does not cover all airlines, including Turkish Airlines, which is considered one of the largest in the world.

The largest airlines with the oldest planes

• Delta Airlines - 17 years old
• Air Canada - 14.2 years
• United Airlines - 14.1 years
• British Airways - 13.2 years
• Air France - 12.6 years
• Lufthansa - 11.5 years
• Southwest Airlines - 11.5 years
• KLM - 10.7 years
• American Airlines - 10.3 years
• Qantas - 9.7 years
• Thai Airways - 9.6 years
• All Nippon Airways - 9.4 years
• JetBlue Airways - 9.3 years
• Korean Air - 9.2 years
• Japan Airlines - 8.7 years
• LATAM Brazil - 8.1 years
• Singapore Airlines - 8.1 years
• Cathay Pacific - 7.7 years
• EasyJet (UK) - 7.2 years
• China Southern Airlines - 6.9 years
• Ryanair - 6.5 years
• Air China - 6.3 years
• Etihad - 6.1 years
• Qatar Airways - 6.1 years
• Saudi Arabian Airlines - 5.9 years
• Emirates - 5.4 years
• China Eastern Airlines - 5.3 years
• Hainan Airlines - 4.9 years
• Aeroflot - 4.2 years
• Turkish Airlines - No data

With a few exceptions like Ryanair and EasyJet low-cost airlines, European and North American airlines tend to have the oldest aircraft, while Asian and Middle Eastern carriers have the newest.

By the way, Jet2, the aircraft of which was discussed at the beginning of the article, is not among the 30 largest airlines in the world, but has aircraft that are 16.8 years old. That is, the company could take one of the first places in the rating.

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The well-known Aeroflot brand has gained popularity due to the quality of service and the reliability of air travel in Russia and abroad. Every day, airliners take off from airfields, transporting thousands of people to different parts of the planet in a short time.

Many are interested in Additional Information about the flight fleet of this company, the technical parameters of the liners and their internal arrangement. Consider what aircraft Aeroflot has and how old they are.

Aeroflot is the flagship of Russian air transportation

Aeroflot - Russian Airlines (PJSC) has been one of the largest Russian air carriers since March 17, 1923. The head office and management of the company are located in Moscow. The main port is Sheremetyevo Airport (Moscow). The company is engaged in passenger and cargo by air from Moscow to 51 countries of the world. Aeroflot planes operate commercial flights at 135 settlements(of which more than 50 - on the territory Russian Federation). Since 2006, Aeroflot has become the head of the Aeroflot group of companies, which includes Pobeda (a low-cost airline), Aurora and Russia.

Interesting fact... Many airliners of Russian airlines are registered in Bermuda and have side numbers starting with VP. All questions of interest are discussed in the forum on the website of the carrier company https://www.aeroflot.ru/ru-ru.

Aeroflot flight park

Aeroflot's aircraft fleet is among the youngest fleets in Russia and abroad. Among all the models, the majority belongs to the brands Sukhoi SuperJet and Airbus. This aircraft flies to any distance with high payload and economical fuel consumption. Aeroflot has a fleet of 232 aircraft as of April 1, 2018.

Since 2008, the company has flown 22 airbuses for long-distance flights, while the average age of the air carrier Aeroflot is only 4 years. Since 2013, Aeroflot has renewed its aircraft fleet, and in 2018, 16 new Boeings were put into operation, surpassing other aircraft in range and carrying capacity.

Aeroflot's fleet in 2018 consists of 38 Boeing 737s for medium-haul flights with several classes of service and high maximum load. In 2015 Civil aircraft Sukhoi and Aeroflot, which is renewing its aircraft fleet, signed an agreement to start using a new brand of aircraft - Sukhoi SuperJet100. Today, Aeroflot's Sukhoi SuperJet100 aircraft are actively used and are represented by 42 model units.

All aircraft are distinguished by their tail numbers and names.

Interesting! When the company was founded, it was named Dobrolet, after 1932 the name was changed to the current one.

Until 1991, the carrier operated domestic-made aircraft, but at the beginning of the 21st century, Aeroflot's fleet of aircraft was replenished with airliners from world manufacturers.

Boeings

These aircraft are classified as passenger aircraft with a wide fuselage. The capacity of the liners ranges from 300 to 550 people. Flights are carried out over distances from 9 thousand km to 17.5 thousand km. All aircraft are named, the list is on the company's website https://www.aeroflot.ru/ru-ru... In the free access there is a mass of information, photos and videos with reviews of these beautiful liners, filming of their flights and internal structure.

Boeing 777-300ER

The company flies 14 aircraft of this brand. The liner assumes long-distance flights. The dimensions are impressive: the body length is almost 74 meters, and the wingspan is up to 65 m. The gain is about 13 km at a speed of 900 km / h. With a maximum load of 317 tons, the aircraft can cover up to 11,000 km (for example, the length of the Vladivostok-Moscow flight is 6,500 km).

The Boeing 777-300ER passenger cabin offers three service categories for 402 passengers - economy, business and comfort. The business class sector has 30 seats, comfort - 48, and economy - 324 seats.

The newest models, VP-BPG, have been in the fleet for only 8 months, and the old VP-BGB liner is about 5 years old.

Boeing 737-800

The fleet of aviation and other equipment includes 38 Boeing B737-800 (Boeing 737-800) units, of which 17 are carried out in the Russian Federation domestic flights... These liners are designed for long and medium-haul flights. Compared to the Boeing 777, this modification is not so impressive, since the hull is only 40 meters, and the wingspan is only 35 meters.Without passengers and cargo, the plane weighs about 41 tons, with a maximum load the weight becomes 79 tons. Due to technical parameters, the plane cannot rise above 12.5 thousand meters, but it covers distances of 5.7 thousand km at maximum altitude.

The arrangement of seats in the passenger compartment assumes up to 20 seats in business class. The economy sector has 138 seats. The peculiarity of the layout is the absence in the middle part of 2 windows from each side, which is due to the specifics of the ventilation system. The Boeing of this model has 4 hatches for emergency evacuation of passengers.

The oldest aircraft of the B737-800 brand (model VP-BRF) has been operating for 4.6 years. The newest side of this modification is the VP-BFB model, which was put into operation on March 01, 2018.

Airbus

Aeroflot's fleet includes various models of Airbus airbuses, including two-deck ones. Liners are very ergonomic and comfortable for long-distance flights, therefore they are in great demand among the population. In total, Aeroflot has 124 airbuses, of which 32 are A321, 22 A330 and 70 A320 models. Each category has its own characteristics, discussed below.

Airbus A330-200 and A330-300

Airbus A330 is presented in two modifications, A330-200 and A330-300. The models are very similar to each other, but there are some differences. In particular, in the 200th model the hull is 58.8 m long, and in the 300th it is 63.7 m. There is no difference in the wingspan, the indicator is the same and is 60.2 m. The liners rise 12 km into the sky, but there are significant differences in the range of a possible flight. For the A330-200, the maximum is 11.2 thousand km, and for the 300th modification, only 9.5 thousand km.

The Airbus A330-200 is designed for 207 seats in Economy and 34 in business class. The Airbus A330-300 is more spacious, with 287 seats in its economy class, and from 28 to 36 in the business class at the discretion of the company.

The oldest A330-200 lasts 9.5 years, while the newest lasts 8.5. In the near future, the company plans to renew the flight personnel of airbuses.

Airbus A321-200

The А321-200 model assumes medium-haul flights. The board of this liner is narrow-body, the hull is 54.5 m long, which makes it stand out among similar airbuses. The wingspan is 34 m, which is quite enough for such a large liner. At the maximum load, the weight is 93.5 tons, but this does not affect the developed speed - the airbus easily picks up 840 km / h.

The interior layout is standard and includes 2 service classes, traditional economy and business with increased comfort. The economy sector can accommodate 142 to 167 passengers, and the business sector - from 16 to 28 seats. The number of seats can be changed by the company for various reasons. The difference between this model and others in its group lies in the improved interior arrangement. A321 is equipped with wide luggage racks, a large cargo compartment and comfortable seats.

The company has 48 aircraft of this brand, the oldest is 9.5 years old.

Airbus A320

Airbus A321-200 is the original model for the A321. The length of the hull is 37 meters, the wingspan is 34 m. At a developed speed of 840 km / h, the liner calmly overcomes 6.15 thousand km. Maximum load - up to 77 tons.

The passenger compartment is 11 meters long, while maintaining the traditional 2 categories - business and economy, differing in the level of comfort. The first 8-20 seats near the cockpit are distinguished by increased convenience, the remaining 120-150 seats are traditional for all aircraft.

Sukhoi Superjet-100

Aeroflot has 43 Sukhoi SuperJet-100 aircraft of the Russian brand "Sukhoi Civil Aircraft". The liner can withstand a total takeoff load of up to 50 tons, and the industrial load reaches 12.5 tons. The hull is 30 m long and has a wingspan of 28 m. This aircraft is designed for short-range flights, up to 2,500 km at an altitude of no more than 12 km. The number of seats in the cabin is 75 in economy class and 12 in the business sector.

The newest Sukhoi SuperJet-100 is only 3 months old (2017 release), and the Sukhoi SuperJet-100 (RA-89014) served the longest - about 5 years.

Retired aircraft

The decommissioned liners are also kept on the territory of the company. Airplanes are distinguished by a large number of flight hours and kilometers, consume too much fuel and cause annoying complaints from passengers associated with the discomfort of being in the cabin during the flight.

Ilyushin Il-96

Ilyushin Il-96 is a presentable large liner, the flagship of the domestic aircraft industry. The salon is equipped with 270 seats for economy class and 12 seats in the business sector. The last flight was in 2014, in the spring. They are currently owned by Cubana Airlines since 2014.

Boeing B767-300

The Boeing 767-300 has a two-class cockpit with 188 Economy seats and 30 extra-comfort seats. Decommissioning took place in 2014, after the Toronto-Moscow flight. The company no longer uses this model for flights.

Interesting! Several Aeroflot aircraft are in storage, retaining their side numbers. Four air units are not used on scheduled and charter flights for technical reasons. These are SuperJet-100, Boeing 767-300 and two Airbus A320 airbuses.

The average age of Aeroflot's aircraft makes it one of the youngest air carriers in the world, with a flight crew of 100 and above. Aeroflot's fleet is constantly being updated at the expense of Russian and foreign aircraft manufacturers. When flying on aircraft of this company, it is imperative to follow the rules of conduct on board and the carriage of baggage, which is important for the safety and reliability of flights.

Most of the aircraft flying in Russia are no older than their counterparts used abroad. However, 17.7% of the fleet is old cars, many of which have exhausted their resource and have problems with parts. Another disadvantage of the domestic market is problems with service and supervision, which is why almost the entire Russian fleet is registered in third countries.

Photo: Transport-Photo Images

Has become biggest disaster in the history of Russian aviation. The day after the tragedy of the Kogalymavia (Metrojet) Airbus 321, which killed 224 people, the Russian investigation opened two criminal cases under the articles "provision of services that do not meet safety requirements" and "violation of flight safety rules or preparation for them." ... Searches took place in the carrier's office, Domodedovo, Samara airport, where the board was refueled. State Duma deputies immediately called for a ban on the operation of aircraft over 15 years old (Airbus "Kogalymavia" was 18 years old) and the revocation of the license of carrier companies with a small number of aircraft. The head of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs, Alexei Pushkov, said that he leads to plane crashes. The deputies put forward similar initiatives after the crash of the 23-year-old Boeing 737 in Kazan on October 17, 2013. Then, as now, the public ignored the statements of airlines and industry experts who argued that an airplane was not a machine and that 20 years of operation was not such a long time for it.

Both aircraft - Boeing in Kazan and Airbus over Sinai - were in good working order according to the latest data. The Kazan disaster, as decided by the commission of inquiry, is Egyptian - three weeks later it was recognized as a terrorist attack. The suspicions of the poor condition of the aircraft flying in Russia, however, did not disappear. RBC analyzed the aircraft fleet of Russian companies operating regular and charter passenger flights, and found out to what extent the suspicions of its wear and tear are justified.

As we thought

The basis was the list of valid airworthiness certificates of the Federal Air Transport Agency for October 22, 2015 (that is, aircraft that are allowed to fly in Russia), data from the official websites of carriers and Internet resources airfleets.com, russianplanes.net and flightradar24.com. We have excluded from complete list small aircraft(private jets), aircraft of local airlines (practical range less than 1000 km, mainly An-2), helicopters, business jets, as well as all aircraft not used for passenger transportation - for example, cargo and agricultural. The sample also did not include aircraft that are not used for the transportation of passengers for commercial purposes: for example, the aircraft fleet of the Air Force, the Ministry of Emergency Situations and a special detachment for the transportation of top officials (SLO "Russia"), as well as aircraft belonging to aircraft manufacturing plants. The lists we received with detailed information about each aircraft were sent to all operating airlines with a request to confirm the correctness of the data we collected. All answers were taken into account in the results of the analysis.

Our statistics also include the planes of the second largest Russian airline "Transaero". was adopted on October 1, and on October 26, the company lost the operator's certificate and ceased operations. The Transaero fleet is in the process of being returned to lessors: several dozen cars can be received by Aeroflot, which has got part of the airline's routes, the rest will be sold on the market or written off. Considering the entire Transaero fleet in the sample (according to open data as of October, these are 122 aircraft), we were guided by the fact that most of it could pass to other Russian operators, and the composition of the fleet reflects economic model the largest private Russian carrier.

What will happen to the huge fleet of Transaero, the second largest carrier after Aeroflot in terms of the number of aircraft (one of them is in the photo), is not yet clear (Photo: TASS)

Which models are chosen

The most popular family in Russia is the medium-haul Airbus 320 (A320, A319 and A321): 249 such aircraft are allowed to fly in the country. In second place with 203 aircraft is the family of medium-haul Boeing 737s, the flights of which were recently requested to be suspended by the Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC).

According to our data, there are only 130 long-haul aircraft in Russia, of which 76.6% are Boeing 747, 767 and 777 models.

There is no definition of a medium-haul aircraft in Russian legislation. In the world, it is customary to refer to this category as machines with a flight range of more than 2.5 thousand km. Long-haul vehicles in Russia are considered to be vehicles with a flight range of more than 8 thousand km.

Not so long ago, Airbus became the leader among aircraft flying on medium-haul routes in Russia. The Big Four companies - Aeroflot, S7, UTair, Transaero - divided their preferences in two in 2013, explains a researcher at the Institute for Transport Economics and Transport Policy High school economics Andrey Kramarenko. The first two were chosen by Airbus, the latter by Boeing. Now Transaero has stopped flights, and UTair has significantly reduced its fleet.

The two rival aircraft manufacturers provide the majority of the world's aircraft fleets. According to the international organization Center for Aviation (CAPA, Australia) for April 2013, 39.7% of all ships operated in the world are Boeing aircraft and 28.7% are Airbus. Russia is no exception. The aircraft of the two companies account for 61.7% Russian park, 14.3% - other foreign aircraft (Embraer, Bombardier, De Havilland Canada, Let, ATR).

Domestic aircraft account for only 24% of the total fleet of Russian carriers. Moreover, for modern samples - An-148, Tu-204, Tu-214 and Sukhoi Superjet - only 6.3%. The remaining 17.7% are old modifications of An, Tu and Yak, most of which were flown back in the USSR. “But in the volume of passenger traffic, the share of these machines is less than 5%,” adds Alexander Fridlyand, professor at the Moscow State Technical University of Civil Aviation.

Sukhoi Superjet is the leader in terms of quantity among modern Russian models: domestic airlines have 39 such aircraft. “The Sukhoi Superjet has a niche, but it is very narrow due to its size (the capacity is up to 100 seats. - RBK) ”, Says Fridlyand. According to him, it is large for local and regional routes, and on mainline routes with good passenger traffic it is inferior to economical cars for 150-200 seats. “Its niche is mainline, but weak in terms of flows,” the interlocutor believes.

The An-24 has not been produced since 1979, but the fleet of Russian companies has 67 more such machines. (Photo: Transport-Photo Images)

Most of the Soviet aircraft in the fleet of An-24 airlines - 67 aircraft. The turboprop passenger aircraft for short and medium-haul lines was developed by the Antonov Design Bureau (KB) in the late 1950s. The maximum capacity is up to 52 passengers. It is operated mainly by Russian regional companies (RBC considers these to be non-long-haul flights, flights through the capital's air hub and not based in Moscow and St. Petersburg). “An-24 is the only aircraft in the world of this class that sits on the ground, on packed snow or ice,” recalls the honored pilot of the USSR, President of the Infrastructure Development Fund air transport Oleg Smirnov. "He flew throughout the airspace of the USSR and in the current conditions in the Far North is practically irreplaceable."

Now An-24 continues to be used by companies based in the north: Polar Airlines, Yakutia, Chukotavia. While it is impossible to replace it massively with foreign models. Firstly, the planes of foreign brands, which could land at the airfields of these regions, accommodate fewer passengers, explains Kramarenko. In addition, the technical documentation for them is on English language, which is not owned by all pilots and personnel of the An-24. However, during 2012-2013, Yakutia leased five Bombardier Dash 8 aircraft with a capacity of 70 to 80 seats. In addition to Bombardier, Canadian De Havilland Canada 6 Twin Otters fly in the Aeroflot subsidiary of the Far Eastern airline Aurora. Most likely, in the coming years, all An-24s will be replaced. foreign cars, "Since they will run out of their resources and it will become extremely difficult and expensive to maintain their airworthiness," predicts Dmitry Mirgorodsky, partner of the consulting company Concuros, former vice president of Sukhoi Civil Aircraft. There are no replacements for their domestic counterparts.

The second most popular among Soviet aircraft is the Yak-42: there are 33 such aircraft in the fleet of Russian airlines. However, several of them are in storage: some are waiting for replacement parts, some will not rise into the air. The cars are included in the parks of Gazpromavia, Grozny Avia, Izhavia, Saratov Airlines. The latter company began flying the Brazilian Embraer 190 two years ago.

How old are planes in Russia

As the research has shown, on average in Russia the age of foreign models is less than their resource, and our aircraft are often more. According to Andrey Sharypov, head of the civil aviation vessels certification department of the State Research Institute of Civil Aviation, for foreign vehicles it is about 40-60 thousand hours, that is, 30 years. For the Soviets it was less - about 20 years. The manufacturer can extend the service life individually for each vessel.

For example, the average age of the Boeing 737 Classic generation (modifications 300, 400, 500) in Russia is 20.2 years. Boeing 737 Next Generation (modifications 600, 700, 800, 900) - 9.1 years. Airbus 320 modifications - 7.5 years, A319 - 11.9 years (see infographic). These figures are not much different from the world average. Dutch airline KLM has an average age of 9.3 years with Boeing New Generation, according to planespotters.net. The American low-cost airline Southwest Airlines, according to USA Today and the portal airfleets.net, is 9.7 years old. The Boeing 737 Classic aircraft (300, 400 and 500 modifications) of this airline are on average more than 22 years old.

As for Airbus, the A320 fleet of German Germanwings is 23 years old. The American Delta, flying with Aeroflot in the Skyteam alliance, has 20.7 years. Delta's A319 aircraft are 13.8 years old.

The oldest model of aircraft flying in Russia is An-24. On average, they are 42.1 years old. The average age of another Soviet Yak-42 still in operation is 24.7 years.

Soviet aircraft and modern Russian aircraft (with the exception of the Sukhoi Superjet), unlike foreign ones, have problems with parts. The mass production of such machines has been stopped, so you have to order components by the piece, which costs many times more, says Sergey Koval, deputy head of the department for monitoring and verifying the authenticity of the Research Institute of Civil Aviation. As a result, parts with forged documents are sometimes put on Soviet cars. According to Koval's estimates, there are now up to 8% of illegal parts on the market, and from 2001 to 2015, there were 50 serious incidents due to problems with parts (including incidents with aircraft and helicopters).

What happened to the Soviet design bureaus

The Saratov Aviation Plant, which produced the Yak aircraft, went bankrupt and was completely liquidated. The design bureaus that developed the Soviet aircraft - the Tupolev Design Bureau and the Yakovlev Design Bureau (now part of the United Aircraft Corporation) - continue to exist mainly by escorting the remaining ships in service, says Koval. The Antonov Design Bureau (now the state-owned Antonov enterprise) is located in Ukraine.

The age of the aircraft, according to professionals, does not affect its technical condition and airworthiness. “As the commander of the ship, I don’t ask: will you give me an old plane or I’ll fly on a new one — this does not interest me at all,” Smirnov explains. The main thing is whether the aircraft has undergone maintenance and repairs on time throughout its life. In addition, every detail of the aircraft has its own resources. By the time, says Smirnov, "as the plane turns 17, these parts can be replaced several times."

The study found that 58.7% of the aircraft in the Russian fleet had only one or two operators. And more than ten air carriers that have replaced each other - in the luggage only 3% of the boards. Moreover, in many cases, two of the same companies used the planes in turn. So, for example, was the plane of Izhavia Yak-42: according to airfleets.net, if we take into account the alternating carriers of the same, it changed 20 operators in 28 and a half years. According to Smirnov, professionals are skeptical of the plane that had previously flown "in countries with high humidity, such as Africa." However, both the lessor and the owner are obliged to put such a car in order. In this regard, the lessor is important for the technical condition of the aircraft, and not the previous operator, the expert believes.

As a rule, carriers refuse aircraft for economic reasons, and not because of the end of its resource, according to a study of the leasing company Avalon (offices in the United States, Ireland, Dubai, Singapore and China). In Russia, foreign and new domestic aircraft models cease to be used in 20-23 years, says Kramarenko, a research fellow at the Higher School of Economics. The global performance, according to the Avalon study, is similar.

Age preferences of airlines

Russian airlines with the oldest fleets use Soviet aircraft. Among carriers with ten or more aircraft, the oldest fleet - 41.2 years - belongs to the Turukhan company, which is part of the UTair group. It mainly operates charter flights, including for mining companies. But Turukhan also has regular flights, so its planes were included in our study.

In total, there are 16 companies in Russia that operate aircraft over 25 years old for regular and charter flights (see table).

The youngest fleet belongs to Pobeda, which recently started operating as a subsidiary of Aeroflot. Its sides are only a year old. Aeroflot has an average fleet age of 4.6 years, according to RBK estimates. The planes of the “Transaero” that stopped flights were on average 18.6 years old (the S7 fleet was 9.2 years old, and the UTair fleet was 14 years old). In 2005-2008, many Russian airlines, including the carriers of the Big Four, when fuel prices went up, massively renewed their fleets, preferring aircraft with lower fuel consumption. In particular, this explains the rather young fleet of foreign aircraft in Russia, Fridland notes.

On April 1, 2001, the standards of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) entered into force, which established reduced noise levels of aircraft engines flying in Europe. Almost all Soviet and Russian aircraft of that time did not meet the new criteria: Tu-134, Tu-154B, Tu-154M, Il-62, Il-86. Thus, airlines that actively flew to Europe and transited over European countries were forced to replace their old noisy cars with new imported ones.

Low-cost airline Pobeda is the youngest Russian air carrier with the youngest fleet. Their Boeing only a year on average (Photo: TASS)

There is also a significant gap between the average age of aircraft of different companies abroad. According to a Bloomberg rating in January 2013, the American Delta has an average age of 15.8, Southwest Airlines 14.7, Aeromexico 15.2, Lufthansa 12.4, Air France 11.5, Ryanair five years.

Each company chooses for itself what is more cost-effective for it: a new or older aircraft, Mirgorodsky emphasizes. For example, the purchase of a new Boeing 737-800 will cost about $ 48-55 million. The same ten-year model will already cost $ 16-18 million, says Alexander Kochetkov, head of the leasing company Gold nsky Leasing. But old aircraft also require maintenance costs. companies can afford to pay such sums in a lump sum - they have to lease cars.In Russia, according to the estimates of Ilyushin Finance Co., at least 80% of the aircraft in operation are leased.

This is exactly what the largest market player, Aeroflot, is doing, which is going to enter the top 20 global air carriers in terms of revenue and passenger traffic by 2025. For this purpose, the airline has not only increased, but also refreshed its fleet for several years, CEO Vitaly Savelyev said in his interviews many times. “It is difficult to compete on the world market on an old aircraft,” explains Mirgorodsky's strategy. Older models are also given by Aeroflot to its subsidiaries - the airlines Aurora, Orenburg Airlines, Donavia, and Russia.

But many companies do not even have enough money to lease new planes. "Transaero", for example, dreamed of pushing out a state competitor, because of expensive debt financing, as it itself admitted in its financial statements, increased its fleet with cheap foreign and new cars, wrote "Vedomosti". After the devaluation of the ruble at the end of last year, leasing prices for Russian companies increased significantly even for old aircraft (lease payments are made in foreign currency. - RBK), adds Mirgorodsky. According to Kochetkov's estimates, leasing a new Boeing 737-800 costs an average of $ 4.2 million a year, and a ten-year lease costs about $ 2 million.