Translated material
"Ilyushin" collects orders
Volga-Dnepr and Atlant-Soyuz are ready to lease cargo aircraft
The Volga-Dnepr Group of Companies signed an agreement yesterday in Paris with the leasing company Ilyushin-Finance Co. (IFK) for the purchase of two Il-96-400T cargo aircraft. As IFC General Director Alexander Rubtsov told Vremya Novostey, the document provides for the transfer of aircraft to Volga-Dnepr on a financial lease for 15 years. The aircraft are produced by the Voronezh Aviation Plant (VASO), of which IFC is a shareholder. According to Mr. Rubtsov, the delivery is planned to be completed before the end of 2006. He estimated the contract amount at “slightly less than $120 million.”As stated by the president of the Volga-Dnepr group of companies, Alexey Isaikin, the group’s strategic development plans are designed to operate six Il-96-400T. Volga-Dnepr intends to purchase these machines over the next six years. When asked when the group is going to transfer the starting payment to VASO, after which production of the machines will begin, Mr. Isaikin answered not entirely specifically: “This year, in accordance with the schedule.”
Mr. Rubtsov said that in a few weeks IFC intends to conclude a similar contract for two Il-96-400Ts with the Atlant-Soyuz airline. According to him, the parties intended to coincide with the current air show in Le Bourget to sign this document, but were forced to postpone it slightly due to technical circumstances.
Atlant-Soyuz, an airline controlled by the Moscow government, has been postponing the purchase of the Il-96-400T for quite some time. In 2003, it signed a corresponding agreement with VASO, and the plant even produced one Il-96-400T in the Atlant-Soyuz livery. But he never joined the company. (It is appropriate to note here that Atlant-Soyuz operates a unique cargo aircraft, the Il-96-300. In fact, this model is intended to transport passengers. And only this copy was repurposed for cargo.)
When asked about the reasons for the failure of the previous Atlant-Soyuz deal on the Il-96-400T, Mr. Rubtsov answered without modesty: “They didn’t have us then. They failed to get funding from the Moscow government. And now IFC is taking over the financing, everything will be fine.”