Yamal Airlines (YC, Salekhard) is to place a "substantial order" for SSJ 100/95s with Sukhoi Civil Aircraft (Zhukovsky) the Governor of the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Dmitry Kobylkin, has said following a meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin.

The Interfax newswire quotes Kobylkin as saying the jets would be used to replace Yamal's fleet of Western-made aircraft used on short-haul domestic flights by 2021. The ch-aviation aircraft database shows Yamal currently operates seven A320-200s, two A321-200s, three B737-400s, one B737-500, eleven CRJ200s, and two Let 410s.

The governor said the airline's fleet, all of which is leased from foreign firms, has become a serious financial burden on his government given the recent decline in the Russian economy as well as the value of the Rouble. Transitioning to an all-Russian fleet would also qualify Yamal Airlines for Federal Russian state-subsidization.

The carrier could become a model for other local airlines, he said, adding that negotiations with Sukhoi, the Federal government, and local lessors were already underway to develop a sustainable leasing model.

From its base in Salekhard near the Artic Circle, Yamal serves forty destinations throughout Russia with international services to Tivat in Montenegro and Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt.