Russian carriers have been weighing a bold move: buying Western airliners with funds drawn from the National Welfare Fund, a plan reported by Kommersant. The newspaper details that Aeroflot, Ural Airlines and iFly have reached an agreement with the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation to use NWF resources to re-register a total of 40 aircraft currently owned abroad into Russian registry status.
Under the arrangement, Aeroflot would upgrade 18 aircraft, purchasing them from the Irish leasing company AerCap. Ural Airlines plans to take 19 airplanes, while iFly would add three Airbus A330s supplied by American Air Lease Corporation. Industry insiders estimate that securing insurance for these newly re-registered jets would require a substantial upfront outlay, with projected insurance payments in the range of 80 to 96 billion rubles as part of the overall reallocation cost.
In related developments, on August 29 the prototype of the Russian SJ-100 made its first flight, a test that lasted 54 minutes. The flight demonstrated successful operation of onboard systems, solid controllability and stability in the air. The new SJ-100 modification features the replacement of about 40 foreign components and subsystems, leaving the SaM-146 engine from France and Russia as the core powerplant. This version is marketed as being independent of foreign supply and is expected to move toward certification and mass production for airlines in the near future.
Earlier reports noted that birds had begun colliding with Russian aircraft more frequently, a trend that has drawn attention to safety and maintenance standards across the aviation sector and sparked discussions about route planning, weather considerations and airfield operations going forward.
The broader conversation around fleet modernization centers on aligning Russian aviation needs with international equipment standards while seeking strategic resilience. Authorities and industry participants are examining how to balance domestic production, foreign partnerships and financing options to ensure a robust, dependable aviation network that can serve both domestic travelers and international routes in the years ahead.