Wed, Sep 20, 2006
Private Investors Keep Aeroflot's Options Open
Because Aeroflot let its option to buy 22 Boeing 787 Dreamliners
lapse, a private shareholder group has stepped in to keep the
Boeing dream alive for the Russian airline -- at least until the
end of the year.
As reported by Aero-News,
Aeroflot has dithered of late, trying to figure out the best
way to update its fleet of cantankerous Cold-War Ilyushins and
Tupolevs. While the airline seems to be leaning towards Airbus
-- especially because a Russian bank now has a 5% stake in that
company -- no firm decision is expected for a while.
A source close to the National Reserve Corporation, which owns a
30 percent stake in Aeroflot, said the firm signed the deal with
Boeing as a way of keeping Aeroflot's options open in case the
airline's full board decides to buy the American jets, according to
the Reuters News Service.
However, Aeroflot spokesman Viktor Sokolov told Reuters: "We do
not have such information." Which in the byzantine world of Eastern
Europe translates into a non-denial.
The original agreement between Aeroflot and Boeing expired last
Friday. The purchase option, reportedly $40 million, will allow
Aeroflot to keep its original place in line til the end of the
year. The Boeing 787 already has a confirmed order roster of 377
aircraft which will first come off the assembly line sometime in
2008.
Rival Airbus has pitched its problematic A350 to
Aeroflot. The European planemaker has yet to receive any firm
orders for the redesigned plane, according to
Reuters... so Aeroflot would likely be first in line if
it went with Airbus.
If the Russians do decide to get the Boeing model before the end
of the year, they can also cash-in their $10 million discount
coupon per plane.
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