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ARMAVIA SUPERJETS DORMANT AS DELIVERY DISPUTE ESCALATES
David Kaminski-Morrow
Flightglobal
http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/armavia-superjets-dormant-as-delivery-dispute-escalates-375179/
Aug 7 2012
Armavia and Sukhoi are locked in a dispute over the delivery of
Superjet 100s after the Armenian flag-carrier stopped operating its
first aircraft, having already postponed acceptance of a second.
While the airline is indicating that the technical performance of the
twinjet lies at the centre of the tussle, the airframer suggests the
real problem is financial arrangements.
Sukhoi's civil aircraft division says that it "hasn't had" any formal
notification that Armavia - the first operator to take the type, in
April last year - wants to "reject the aircraft and stop the contract".
But the airframer insists that there is a debt attached to the first
jet which complicates the matter. "Even if [Armavia] rejects the
contract, it can't give back the [aircraft]," it adds
The airframer says the carrier acquired its first aircraft directly
but the second has not been delivered, and claims that part of the
hold-up is due to the carrier's trying to rearrange the financing to
place both Superjets under a lease agreement.
Both Armavia aircraft, fully painted in the airline's livery, are
parked at Moscow's Zhukovsky airfield while talks are taking place
over their future.
Armavia explains the situation, however, as being related to the
operational performance of the Superjet, claiming it has not met the
Yerevan-based carrier's expectations.
"Although it's a brand new aircraft it needed to be repaired within
the first year after entering service," says the operator.
"This raises a question about the advisability of that purchase. We're
a small carrier and cannot afford to make experiments."
Armavia had previously been broadly upbeat about the type, indicating
that the aircraft met its network requirements, but had hinted at a
need to refine its operations.
Earlier this year Russian authorities briefly suspended Armavia's
route rights over unpaid air traffic control debts.
From: A. Papazian
David Kaminski-Morrow
Flightglobal
http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/armavia-superjets-dormant-as-delivery-dispute-escalates-375179/
Aug 7 2012
Armavia and Sukhoi are locked in a dispute over the delivery of
Superjet 100s after the Armenian flag-carrier stopped operating its
first aircraft, having already postponed acceptance of a second.
While the airline is indicating that the technical performance of the
twinjet lies at the centre of the tussle, the airframer suggests the
real problem is financial arrangements.
Sukhoi's civil aircraft division says that it "hasn't had" any formal
notification that Armavia - the first operator to take the type, in
April last year - wants to "reject the aircraft and stop the contract".
But the airframer insists that there is a debt attached to the first
jet which complicates the matter. "Even if [Armavia] rejects the
contract, it can't give back the [aircraft]," it adds
The airframer says the carrier acquired its first aircraft directly
but the second has not been delivered, and claims that part of the
hold-up is due to the carrier's trying to rearrange the financing to
place both Superjets under a lease agreement.
Both Armavia aircraft, fully painted in the airline's livery, are
parked at Moscow's Zhukovsky airfield while talks are taking place
over their future.
Armavia explains the situation, however, as being related to the
operational performance of the Superjet, claiming it has not met the
Yerevan-based carrier's expectations.
"Although it's a brand new aircraft it needed to be repaired within
the first year after entering service," says the operator.
"This raises a question about the advisability of that purchase. We're
a small carrier and cannot afford to make experiments."
Armavia had previously been broadly upbeat about the type, indicating
that the aircraft met its network requirements, but had hinted at a
need to refine its operations.
Earlier this year Russian authorities briefly suspended Armavia's
route rights over unpaid air traffic control debts.
From: A. Papazian