Ural Airlines, one of the leading Russian airlines, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Airbus for the purchase of five Airbus A320 aircraft as part of the modernisation of its medium range fleet.
Ural Airlines’ A320 will offer a spacious, comfortable two-class layout and will be operated on its extended network of international destinations. The engine choice remains to be made. Currently Ural Airlines operates two leased A320 on the routes from Ekaterinburg to Moscow, Hurgada, Sharm-El-Sheikh, Munich, Dusseldorf, Prague, Bangkok, Delhi and Tianjin.
“This deal is a very important step in our fleet development“, said Kirill Skuratov, Ural Airlines CEO. ” We already have two leased A320 aircraft. This deal will enable us to gradually renew our fleet, which is one of our priorities in the framework of our rebranding programme. A320 offers us significant fuel savings and a high level of reliability, which will enable us to expand out network and reduce the flight cost for passengers”.
“We are delighted that Ural Airlines have chosen again the most successful single aisle aircraft family in the world to expand their fleet. We look forward to a long-term partnership with Ural Airlines,” said John Leahy, Airbus Chief Operating Officer, Customers.
Designed to optimise revenue through cabin adaptability and passenger comfort, the A320 Family features the most modern and complete fly-by-wire technology available on any single-aisle aircraft. Thanks to most modern design and low fuel consumption, the A320 Family ensures savings in every element of direct operating cost. According to numerous independent surveys, passengers prefer the greater space and comfort offered by the A320 Family cabin including wider seats, while its attractive economics make it a firm favourite with airlines and investors.
The A320 is the flagship of Airbus’ modern single-aisle Family, which also includes the A318, the A319 and A321. Carriers operating several Airbus Family types, benefit from the unique Airbus operational commonality. All A320 aircraft share the same type rating, and all the Airbus aircraft share cockpit commonality. This allows pilots to fly the whole family, and enables the same team of mechanics to maintain the aircraft, generating valuable savings in training and operational efficiency.
With over 5,000 Airbus single-aisle aircraft ordered and more than 3,000 delivered to date, the A320 Family is without doubt the most successful airliner programme. The A320 Family has more than 180 customers and operators to its credit. 10 carriers from Russia and CIS currently operate 57 A320 Family aircraft.
