Today at the Moscow Air Show, Boeing and Russian national flag carrier Aeroflot have announced that Chicago-based Boeing has been given the contract to retrofit 18 of the Russian airlines Boeing 777-300ERs.
Once the contracts were signed, the chief financial officer of Aeroflot Andrey Chikhanchin was quoted in a Boeing press release as saying:
"Aeroflot is widely recognized as a premium service airline. Designing a new Boeing 777 interior, we aim to enhance our premium quality at every class of service – business, comfort, and economy. An updated interior will take Aeroflot to new heights.”
All the engineering will be done by Boeing who will then supply the component kits for the new Aeroflot Boeing 777 cabin configurations.
“It’s a great honor that a leading Russian carrier selected Boeing solutions,” said Stan Deal, president and chief executive officer of Boeing Global Services. “Aeroflot is an experienced 777 operator and we are pleased to provide them with the expertise that will support their implementation, long-term strategic growth, and development plans.”
Aeroflot has one of the youngest fleets flying today
Aeroflot currently flies one of the youngest fleets of any airline in the world that has more than 100 planes.
In total, Aeroflot has 249 aircraft with an average age of just 4.7 years that serve 159 destinations in 54 countries around the world. The majority of the Russian carrier’s fleet is made up of 78 Airbus A320s, 34 Airbus A321s, 22 Airbus A330s and Sukhoi SuperJet aircraft.
In 2013, Aeroflot started to receive aircraft from Boeing and now has 47 medium-range 737-800s and 19 B777-300ERs. Aeroflot claims these are “superior to our other aircraft in flight range and carrying capacity and offer Comfort Class service.”
As a proud member of the SkyTeam global airline alliance, Aeroflot has one of its Boeing B777-300ERs painted in SkyTeam livery. While only a guess, perhaps the SkyTeam 777-300ER is the one aircraft in Aeroflot’s fleet of 19 B777-300ERs that is not getting the new cabin.
What happens during a retrofit?
Over the past couple of years, several airlines have decided to retrofit their Boeing 777s to compete with the new A350 from Airbus.
Some airlines, like Emirates, are using the retrofit as an opportunity to remove first-class cabins and install more lie-flat seats in business class according to The Points Guy. During a retrofit just about everything is taken out of the plane except for the cockpit.
Now working with an empty aircraft, the airline can change the seating and add new lavatories, galleys, and all the latest entertainment systems and on-board WiFi.
The Moscow Air Show
The Moscow Air Show, or as it is better known MAKS, started as an entertainment event, but soon became the main marketplace for the Russian aviation and aerospace companies.
The six-day show is held biannually in mid-July, although this year's show was postponed to late august. It takes place in the Russian science town of Zhukovskiy, home of the Gromov Flight Research Institute. The first three days of the show are dedicated to business before the public is allowed in to see the planes up close and watch aerial displays and flyovers.
We have not heard yet what Aeroflot’s plans are for their 777-300ERs but will let you know as soon as we find out.