Aeroflot (SU, Moscow Sheremetyevo) is currently reviewing its A350 order with Airbus (AIB, Toulouse Blagnac) just weeks after it cancelled an order for twenty-two B787-8s with Boeing (BOE, Washington National). The Russian carrier has twenty-two of the type on order - eight A350-800s and fourteen A350-900s - with deliveries set to run from 2018 onwards.
A Russian aviation industry analyst told Routesonline in an interview that the carrier would likely amend the order as opposed to scrapping it outright.
“Like most other original A350-800 customers, Aeroflot is playing the game with Airbus on its commitment," the source said. "It will likely switch the order to the A350-1000 as others have, but it is unclear if that will be a long-term solution to its revised capacity needs or simply deferring the need to make a decision until a later date, when the Russian economy should have recovered."
Earlier this year, Aeroflot CEO Vitaly Saveliev warned that given the impact of Western sanctions, Russia's current market conditions were not conducive for aircraft the size of the A350 or the B787 for that matter.
As such, to help cope with plummeting demand, Aeroflot recently announced it would be withdrawing up to twenty-two long- and twenty-one medium-haul aircraft from service that it operates under financial lease in order to optimize its cost structure and route network.
An RFP document issued to the market indicates Aeroflot is considering either selling off or sub-leasing the affected aircraft which include eight A330-300s, thirteen B777-300(ER)s, twenty-one A321-200s, and one A320-200.
