MSGID: 2:292/854 1f351342
TZUTC: 0200                  
Russian airline Aeroflot will dismantle eight Boeing freighters to keep its
passenger fleet flying, according to the Ukrainian Foreign Intelligence
Service. The aircraft are believed to be from the Volga-Dnepr Group, the
parent company of AirBridgeCargo and Atran Airlines.
 
These aircraft reportedly include six Boeing 737-800BCFs and two Boeing
747-400Fs. They will be transferred to Aeroflot subsidiaries Pobeda and
Rossiya Airlines through financial leasing arrangements. The financing will
reportedly come from Russia's National Welfare Fund.
 
The plan underscores the increasing pressure on the Russian aviation industry,
which has been struggling with a shortage of spare parts and has struggled to
keep Western aircraft operational since the imposition of international
sanctions.
 
Before the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the country had an estimated
fleet of 1,500 to 1,800 Western-built commercial aircraft. Meanwhile, the need
to find creative 'and expensive' solutions to keep those planes in the air is
growing.

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