RUSSIA: Izhavia Acquires 9th Yak-42 Jetliner

Izhavia is mulling an order for Russia's new MC-21 jetliner in a bid to renew its fleet.

The carrier put its ninth Yak-42D into operation on March 7 (Izhavia)

Izhavia, an airline based in Russia's Republic of Udmurtia, has taken delivery of its ninth Yakovlev Yak-42D airliner. The aircraft, tail number RA-42402, is designed to carry 104 passengers in a two-class cabin layout, the company reports.

According to open sources, the airframe was built in 1991 and has logged 17,000 hours flying out of the OEM-imposed limit of 40,000 hours.

Prior to delivery to Izhavia the aircraft underwent maintenance at RosAero MRO center (Bykovo aircraft repair plant) where it faced large-scale refurbishment and modernization.

Izhavia put the aircraft into commercial operation on March 7 with an inaugural flight from Izhevsk to Moscow.

The carrier is interested in further renewing its fleet. In November 2015, CEO Alexander Gorodilov said Russia's new Irkut MC-21 single-aisle mainline aircraft was the company's preferred option.

Until the type has entered operation, Izhavia is planning to keep its Yak-42Ds flying; these airliners, Gorodilov noted, will remain in demand on the carrier's northern routes for a long time.

As for Sukhoi Superjet 100 (SSJ 100) regional aircraft, the operator considers them unsuitable for its purposes, primarily due to their insufficient seating capacity.

Izhavia ranked 25th among Russian airlines by traffic volume in 2016, with 307,600 passengers carried (up 15.1% year-on-year).

In January 2017 its passenger traffic grew by 64.4% compared to the same month last year: the carrier served 20,500 passengers, rising to 23rd position.