Aeroflot takes delivery of Airbus A321, Boeing 737

This A321, registered as VP-BKR, became the carrier's final airliner delivered under the contract with AviaAM Financial Leasing China (Aeroflot)

Aeroflot has taken delivery of two narrowbody aircraft, an Airbus A321 and a Boeing 737-800. The former has a seating capacity of 186 passengers: 16 in business and 170 in coach. The latter seats 158: 20 in business and 138 in coach, the airline reports.

The Airbus, registration code VP-BKR, comes fresh from the assembly line in Hamburg, Germany. It is being leased from AviaAM Financial Leasing China, a joint venture between Lithuania’s AviaAM Leasing and China’s Henan Civil Aviation Development and Investment Company. The company’s data on the aircraft’s capacity differs slightly: a total of 183 seats, including 167 in economy.

Since early May, Aeroflot has taken delivery of eight aircraft under a $500 million contract with the lessor. These were six A320s and two A321s. The previous airliner delivered via AviaAM Financial Leasing China, an A321, entered commercial service with Aeroflot last month. The aircraft features a two-class cabin seating a total of 183 passengers. Both the previous aircraft and the newly delivered one are being leased for 12 years.

According to open sources, the newly arrived 737-800, registration code VP-BKA, is also factory new. No information is officially available about the lessor, but it is known that the airline has a running contract for 50 Boeing 737NGs with Avia Capital Services. According to Flightradar24, the aircraft has already started revenue flights.

The number of A321s in Aeroflot’s fleet has thus reached 37 aircraft; its 737 fleet now stands at 31 units. As of September 1, 2017, Russia’s largest operator had 202 airliners. The carrier has A320, A321 and 737 narrowbodies, А330 and Boeing 777 widebodies, and 30 self-reported Sukhoi Superjet 100 regional jets (the Federal Air Transport Agency puts the figure at 25).