Aeroflot takes eight ex-cargo Boeings, presumably for spare parts use

:: BUD

Aeroflot Group has acquired eight Boeing freighters, according to its financial report for the first nine months of 2025. The subsidiaries Rossiya Airlines and Pobeda Airlines received two Boeing 737-800BCFs, two Boeing 747-400ERFs, and four Boeing 737-800s, respectively.

These planes were formerly operated by the cargo carriers AirBridge Cargo and Atran, both part of the Volga-Dnepr Group. Sources indicate that Volga-Dnepr recently finalized a settlement with lessor AerCap regarding these aircraft. Following an insurance settlement, ownership was transferred to the state-owned NLK Finance, which used funds from Russia’s National Welfare Fund to purchase the aircraft from the Irish lessor. NLK Finance then leased them to Aeroflot Group under a financial lease agreement.

It is likely that the cargo aircraft will serve as sources of spare parts for their new operators. LCC Pobeda’s fleet consists entirely of Boeing 737-800 passenger jets (42 aircraft), while Rossiya Airlines operates eight passenger Boeing 747-400s, only two of which are currently in service.

As of September 30, 2025, Aeroflot Group’s total fleet comprised 360 aircraft, 352 of which are configured for passenger operations.