Russia’s Vim Airlines to Lease Five Bombardier CS300s from Ilyushin Finance Co.

Russian carrier Vim Airlines has agreed to lease five Bombardier CS300s from Russia lessor Ilyushin Finance Co.

Vim Airlines’ decision to lease the five Bombardier CS300 jets from Ilyushin Finance Co. (IFC) was announced on August 29 at the MAKS 2013 Air Show.

On August 29, 2013, lessor Ilyushin Finance Co. announced at the MAKS 2013 Air Show in Moscow that it had agreed to lease five Bombardier CS300 jets to Vim Airlines, which is based at Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport. Vim Airlines thus became IFC’s first leasing customer for aircraft from its 32-aircraft Bombardier CS300 order, which also included options for 10 more of the type

In June, Ilyushin Finance Co. finalized a purchase agreement with Bombardier covering a firm order for 32 CS300s and options for 10 more.

Vim Airlines, which is based at Moscow’s Domodedovo International Airport (IATA code DME), is IFC’s first lessee for CS300 airliners.

As a result, Vim Airlines is in pole position to become Russia’s first airline to operate the Bombardier CSeries family of commercial jets.

At the Moscow show Alexander Kochnev, director general of Vim Airlines and Alexander Rubtsov, director general of IFC, joined Rod Sheridan, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft’s vice president, sales and asset management for a signing ceremony to mark the lease agreement,

The ceremony was hosted at Bombardier’s booth at the MAKS 2013 Air Show.

On February 20, 2013, Moscow-based lessor Ilyushin Finance Company signed a conditional purchase agreement for 32 Bombardier CS300 jets and took options on 10 more. The leasing company’s shareholders approved the order and on June 4, 2013 IFC signed a firm deal with Bombardier

According to Bombardier Aerospace, during the event Kochnev said he was impressed with Bombardier’s meticulous attention to detail in the construction of the “very spacious” aircraft cabin and cockpit demonstrator that was on display at the air show.

The previous day, on August 28, IFC signed a letter of intent (LOI) at the MAKS 2013 Air Show to order 50 Bombardier Q400 NextGen turboprops.

The LOI was one of a series of agreements signed by Bombardier and Russian companies with a view to Bombardier setting up a final assembly line in Russia to produce at least 100 Q400 NextGen regional airliners for operation by carriers based in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States.

These aircraft would be ordered by IFC and Rosteknologii leasing subsidiary Avia Capital Services, which would lease the Q400 NextGens to or finance them for Russian operators.