Russia plans to sell 40 Superjet aircraft to the Norwegian Air Shuttle low-cost airline. Norway has requested a number of incentives along with the purchase, including preferential airspace fees and a permit to fly over Siberia.
The acquisition will take place in two stages. First, ten aircraft will be transferred to the airline’s Argentine subsidiary; then another 30 will be delivered to the parent company. One Superjet aircraft costs $50.5 mio thus making the total transaction worth $2 bln, RBC reports.
If Norwegian airlines get permission to operate on Trans-Siberian routes, they will be able to fly to Asia and profit from Chinese passengers. However, some experts fear that Asian flights may start operating from Helsinki, which will decrease the passenger traffic in St Petersburg’s Pulkovo Airport.
Moreover, analysts stressed that the Norwegian low-cost carrier’s fleet consists only of Boeings and Russian Superjets are an odd choice. Therefore, there is a chance that the deal will be cancelled after all or be substituted with a lease.
This month it was reported that SSJ100 has hit the lowest annual sales in seven years. Compared to 2018, the sales dropped by 30% − among other, due to the tragic event at Sheremetyevo Airport on May 5, 2019. A plane flying to Murmansk had to come back to the airport 20 minutes after the take-off due to technical problems. Forty passengers and one crew member were killed in a hard landing.
Earlier, Invest Foresight reported that, despite complaints, tourists are forced to fly Superjets. The planes are operated by Russian charter airlines and the only way for charter passengers to avoid them is to pay for a different flight.