Airbus in Russia

Russia remains a key Airbus strategic partner for both commercial and industrial reasons. The region has a long history in aeronautics and is among the most important civil aviation markets in the world. Today, some 170 Airbus aircraft are being operated in the fleets of nine Russian carriers, with more than 80 new jetliners to be delivered in the coming years. 

Airbus established its initial relationship with Russia at the airline level in 1991 when Russian authorities certified the A310 – representing a milestone first for Western-built aircraft. The jetliner ultimately was entered into service by Russian national carrier Aeroflot.  

The company’s A320 Family quickly gained popularity among Russian airlines following the single-aisle product line’s commercial service entry in the region during 2003. Its high fuel efficiency, unprecedented passenger comfort, lower operating costs and faster turn-around times made the family a hit with many Russian carriers: more than 75 A320 Family jetliners are in the Aeroflot fleet, while S7 operates 29 aircraft and Ural Airlines flies 19 A320s and A321s – based on November 2011 figures. 

In December 2011, Transaero Airlines became the first Russian carrier to order Airbus’ eco-efficient A320neo (neo engine option) variant, firming up a memorandum of understanding for eight aircraft signed earlier in the year. As part of Transaero’s expansion strategy and fleet renewal programme, these jetliners are planned for operation on the carrier’s extended medium-haul network of domestic and international routes.

As a further vote of confidence, such A320 operators as Aeroflot and Vladivostok Avia chose the A330 Family for their long-range fleet expansion. Aeroflot also signed for 22 A350 XWBs in 2007.  

Airbus has a regional office in Moscow to cover marketing and public relations, as well as to facilitate and develop current and future cooperation with the Russian aviation industry and provide on-the-spot airline support. In addition to this, Airbus has trained hundreds of pilots and technicians from Russian airlines and has contributed to the modernisation of Aeroflot’s training centre by installing computerized equipment and simulators.  

EADS/Airbus signed a major partnership programme with Russian industry in 2011. Since that time, cooperation between the two parties has significantly intensified across multiple sectors. Airbus currently is developing its large-scale cooperation programme with Russia in four domains: research and technology, material sourcing, engineering and components manufacturing.  

In 2003, Airbus and the Kaskol Group created an Airbus Engineering centre in Russia, which started with 30 engineers and since has emerged as a model of success for Airbus’ globalisation strategy. It was the first engineering facility to open in Europe outside of the company’s home countries.  

Equipped with state-of-the-art communications equipment and linked with Airbus engineering sites in France and Germany, the facility performs extensive work in disciplines such as fuselage structure, stress, system installation and design. 

The centre currently employs some 200 engineers who have completed over 30 large-scale projects for the A320, the A330/A340 and the A380 programs. Russian engineers also performed more than half of all design work on the A330-200F freighter, with its activity related to fuselage structure design, floor grids installation and junctions design. The centre currently is involved in the A320neo Sharklets design development and numerous design works for the A350 XWB programme.  

Russian companies are involved in the production of components for the A320, A350 XWB and A380. The company’s primary partner is the Irkut Corporation, which received a majority of the work packages and is producing the nose landing gear bay, keel beam and flap track for the A320 Family. The Voronezh Aircraft Production Association (VASO) is supplying engine-pylon components for the A320 Family. Every third A320 Family aircraft now has components produced by the Russian plants. 

Also, VSMPO-Avisma is a major supplier of titanium forgings for the main landing gear of Airbus’ A350 XWB and A380, while Hamilton Standard Nauka and Hydromash manufacture condenser heat exchanges, valve blocks and flight control system parts.  

In addition, the purchase of materials was one of Airbus’ earliest activities in Russia. VSMPO-Avisma, which started cooperating with Airbus in the 1990s, is now a key titanium supplier – covering about 60 per cent of the company’s titanium needs. However, in recent years the nomenclature of materials supplied by the Russian company has changed considerably and now includes semi-finished products with higher added value. 

During 2009, Airbus/EADS signed with VSMPO-Avisma the biggest and longest-term contract in the history of its cooperation with the Russian industry. The new agreement, which is valid until 2020, covers the supply of titanium and die forging parts for all existing Airbus aircraft, including the A350 XWB. In 2011, Airbus also signed a memorandum of understanding with VSMPO covering an extension of the two companies’ current cooperation for rough machining or pre-machining of titanium parts to create a more vertically-integrated supply chain. 

Airbus continues to actively explore opportunities with the Russian aviation industry, and numerous research and technology projects are currently underway with the participation of Russian engineers and specialists.