Red Wings to move to Ulyanovsk

Red WIngs' Superjet 100 in Ulyanovsk airport (Photo by Red Wings)

Russia’s Red Wings airline will change its legal address from Moscow to Ulyanovsk in 2016, the Ulyanovsk Region administration has reported. To support the relocation, the local authorities have committed to creating “a favorable administrative and taxation regime” for the carrier, in exchange for new routes from Ulyanovsk.

The airline is happy with the tax conditions proposed, says Red Wings General Director Evgeny Klyucharev. The carrier has been operating direct flights from Ulyanovsk to Moscow and Simferopol (Crimea), and is planning to add several more destinations, including St. Petersburg and Sochi, next year. Red Wings says other destinations from Uyanovsk may also include the Russian cities of Kaliningrad, Kazan, Grozny, Saratov, Rostov, Mineralnye Vody, and Makhachkala.

Ukyanovsk Region Governor Sergey Morozov says Red Wings operates Tupolev Tu-204 and Sukhoi SSJ100 aircraft; the former is built, and the lattet outfitted, at the Ulyanovsk-based Aviastar-SP facility. The Ulyanovsk airport possesses the infrastructure to maintain the airline’s fleet, and a Tu-204 and SSJ100 pilot training program is also locally available.

Ilyushin Finance Co. (IFC), the leasing company preparing to acquire a 74% stake in Red Wings, is also interested in the airline’s base change. An IFC subsidiary, which will be the carier’s designated owner, has already obtained its legal registration in Ulyanovsk. The region’s legislation facilitates leasing activities in terms of taxes, IFC head Alexander Rubtsov explains.

Red Wings is currently based at Moscow’s Domodedovo airport. It operates eight Tu-204s, seven of which are on lease from IFC, and also several SSJ100s.