Russian Flag Carrier: The Current State Of Aeroflot"s Fleet

After almost two years of Western sanctions, which aircraft currently make up Aeroflot's fleet?


Image by aerotime.aero

Two years ago, Aeroflot was part-way through an eight-year-long plan to redefine itself as a world-leading carrier. However, Russia's invasion of Ukraine has led to severe economic sanctions, with airlines unable to take deliveries of new Western-built aircraft or source spare parts and maintenance services for their existing fleets. What impact has this had on Aeroflot's fleet?

Aeroflot's current fleet

Over the past two decades, Aeroflot's fleet has become increasingly westernized as the airline transitioned into a mainstream global carrier. Data from ch-aviation shows that Aeroflot's fleet is currently made up of 293 aircraft, including Airbus, Boeing, and Sukhoi jets. The breakdown of the airline's narrowbody aircraft is as follows:

• 26 Airbus A319s
• 60 A320s
• 6 A320neos
• 32 A321s
• 3 A321neos
• 41 Boeing 737-800s
• 2 737-900ERs
• 76 Sukhoi Superjet 100s

Aeroflot's widebody fleet is made up of the following:

• 12 Airbus A330-300s
• 7 A350-900s
• 2 Boeing 777-300s
• 26 777-300ERs

​​​​​The impact of economic sanctions

Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, countries all over the world imposed heavy economic sanctions, which are still in place today. Since then, Aeroflot has been forced to cut a significant portion of its international routes after losing landing and overflying rights. Among the few long-haul routes remaining from the carrier's hub at Sheremetyevo International Airport (SVO) are Bangkok (BKK), Beijing (PKX), and Phuket (HKT).

However, while Aeroflot's route network is almost unrecognizable, the most significant risk that the carrier currently faces relates to its fleet. Sanctions mean that obtaining and maintaining existing Western-built aircraft has become increasingly challenging. As a result, the airline has had to backtrack on its previous growth plans and opt instead for Russian-built aircraft such as the Sukhoi Superjet 100. That said, several Russian airlines have managed to exploit a loophole by importing through countries that have not imposed sanctions, such as Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.

In order to quickly increase the proportion of Russian-built aircraft in its fleet, Aeroflot has taken to leasing. For example, all of Aeroflot's 76 Sukhoi Superjet 100s are leased. However, the departure of many Western-based leasing companies from Russia, such as AerCap, has left the carrier reliant on Russian and Chinese lessors for any shorter-term fleet growth.

The future of Aeroflot's fleet

While leasing aircraft into its fleet is a good way for Aeroflot to keep capacity up in the short term, with no end to the current sanctions in sight, the airline needs a longer-term solution. To that end, over the coming years, Aeroflot will continue its shift away from Western-built aircraft, as it takes delivery of almost 200 non-Airbus and Boeing aircraft.

Aeroflot currently has outstanding orders for 55 Sukhoi Superjet 100s, 40 Tupolev Tu-214s, and 198 Irkut MC-21s, the arrival of which will drastically change the makeup of the carrier's fleet. It remains to be seen what impact this move away from Airbus and Boeing will have on Aeroflot's ambitions to become a truly global carrier if the conflict comes to an end and sanctions are ultimately lifted.