Alexander Ivanovich, in September, Aeroflot signed a new contract for the supply of another 100 SuperJet 100 aircraft. Considering that now the maintenance and repair and spare parts supply are not keeping pace with the conveyor, how do you plan to solve this problem?

- We see that a significant expansion of the SuperJet 100 fleet requires additional maintenance capacity. In particular, in order to eliminate idle planes in view of the waiting line for maintenance, we conceptually agreed with Aeroflot airline on new approaches to organising our interaction. A joint work plan has been signed, which provides for quite substantial changes in our interaction scheme. We agreed that under the new contract for the purchase of 100 SuperJet 100 aircraft, we must become partners in aircraft maintenance. The plan provides for the organisation of another aircraft service center at Sheremetyevo. We are talking about additional capacity of the MRO center, and Sukhoi Civil Aircraft (SCAC) undertake to create it. We will attract partners to this work, who will build these hangars for us, we will lease them and develop them so that Aeroflot will not have a shortage of facilities for servicing its aircraft. That is, we will help close those volumes of work in severe forms that the airline will not have time to do on its own at its own facilities.

The second point is that we multiply the capacity of our warehouses of spare parts, which are located in Sheremetyevo and in Zhukovsky. Now their total area is about 1500 square meters. m., and in the future will be about 4000 square meters. m. If everything works out, then up to 2700 square meters. The total area of ​​warehouses will be increased this winter. In parallel, it is envisaged that under the new contract we will be able to supply spare parts and ground support equipment to Aeroflot, including using the opportunities that exist within the framework of state support measures. This is the so-called 301 Government Resolution, which allows us to transfer to the airlines, the so-called “home warehouse” and ground handling facilities. We proceed from the fact that this will be in the amount of 115 million rubles per each aircraft. This is pretty decent volume. If we take into account the recently signed contract, then at the rate of 100 aircraft, this results in an investment in spare parts of 11 billion rubles. And this will be the manufacturer's investment, taking into account the measures of state support.

It is not yet known how the route network is going to be built for these planes. But it is already clear that a significant part of these machines will be located and not based in the European part of the country, but in Siberia and the Far East. We proceed from the assumption that Aeroflot will develop its new development strategy for regional hubs, which, in turn, will need regional aircraft. This strategy is now being tested by Aeroflot. We will follow the airline to the regions and, accordingly, help them create new spare parts warehouses. Some of them will be owned by Aeroflot. And that which will not be covered by the “home warehouse” will be realised through a pool agreement and other tools. It is valid now, but for new aircraft it will be significantly expanded and will provide coverage for those positions that will be absent in the “home warehouses”.

These measures will allow us, along with the work on the implementation of a large program to modernise the SuperJet 100 aircraft and improve its performance and reliability, to achieve good flying times and regularity of departure. The new contract will provide guarantees from the SCAC to meet the high reliability criteria that are on the market today. Now in Aeroflot, the average daily flight time of the SuperJet 100 aircraft is below a predetermined figure. There are two explanations for this: the presence or absence of spare parts and the lack of hangar maintenance facilities. Therefore, we will continue to invest in this in order to become an Aeroflot partner in terms of aircraft operation.

- You have identified three areas: quality improvement and modernisation, spare parts warehouses and the MRO center. How much are all these three programs valued in monetary terms?

- A total of about 25 billion rubles. These are investments in the central warehouse in Zhukovsky, expansion of the existing and construction of new MRO hangar facilities and spare parts warehouses, taking into account their technical support and filling. It is planned to spend the SCA own funds and budget subsidies that we will receive for the implementation of the program. We are already investing in the central warehouse in Zhukovsky. A lot of work was done on its modernisation and automation. Regional warehouses will be created as the aircraft arrives in the regions (Ed.: In addition, there are warehouses supporting foreign operators in Venice, Munich and Fort Loderleyle). The contract with Aeroflot is calculated from 2019 to 2025 and all programs will be implemented during this period.

Here are completed service bulletins that are already scheduled according to the schedule by the end of 2019 - more than 2,500 thousand service bulletins. Here is the issuance of components to operating organisations. The warehouse is open around the clock 7 days a week. According to the agreements with the airlines in the shortest possible time the necessary block should be prepared for shipment. A shift from the warehouse takes about 200 positions.

At the end of 2017, it was decided to modernise the warehouse. In early 2018, the installation of new equipment began. In particular, high-tech automatic modules for consumables are installed in the warehouse. Each module has 72 shelves. The application program 1C sends a request to the control system of the module, the technician on the control panel selects its task and the system tells you where to get the necessary part. Further from this big case the necessary shelf advances.

At the moment, about 14 thousand items of consumables are in stock - about 3 million units of storage. Plus 4 thousand electronic units. The largest storage units are ailerons, elevators, landing gear, APU. There are engines, but they often transit from the manufacturer to the operator. The total value of all storage units only in a warehouse in Zhukovsky is about 11 billion rubles.

Photo: Yulia Kuzmina

- You mentioned the SuperJet 100 upgrade. At what stage is the testing of the aircraft with the new wing tips now? Will Aeroflot receive aircraft under a new contract in a new configuration?

- The deadline for completing the aircraft certification program with ending is the end of the first quarter of 2019. According to the plan, at the beginning of the second quarter of next year we should receive a certificate, first Russian, and then European. The 2019 delivery under the contract with Aeroflot will be in the configuration that is today, in the two-class cabin layout. At the moment, Aeroflot is studying the SCAC proposals for increasing the capacity of the passenger compartment. It is possible that the machines that will be delivered starting from 2020 and further for regional use will differ in layout from the current ones. It can be two-class and single-class cabins. This question is supposed to be resolved by the end of 2018. But now it is clear that all of them will be equipped with new wing tips.

According to preliminary flight test data, a significant reduction in fuel consumption is expected, of the order of 3.5-4% and improvement in take-off and landing characteristics, that is, a rather significant decrease in the distance required for take-off and landing. This is attractive to all our customers, including Aeroflot. The first operator of such a machine, perhaps, will be the Severstal airline. But physically, we will be able to start installing the ending not earlier than the completion of certification, that is, in the second quarter of next year.

- In some foreign, and then in the Russian media, information appeared that the Mexican Interjet and European City Jet want to abandon the SuperJet 100 operation. Please, shed light on the future fate of the aircraft in these airlines.

- Just want to say that in these rumours there is definitely no technical component, complaints about the reliability of the aircraft or service. The fact is that the situation in the markets is constantly changing, not only in Russia, but also abroad. For example, in Mexico, we are seeing a change in the economic environment. Since 2016, there has been a significant devaluation of the peso, almost doubled, and, like us, fuel prices are rising. This leads carriers to the need to correct the strategy with which they have lived until now. And another factor that affects the economic situation in the whole world, and in Mexico in particular, is the emergence of a large number of low-cost airlines, which greatly influences the competition in this segment. After analysing the situation on the market with our Mexican colleagues, we proposed to improve the operational properties of the SuperJet 100 fleet that they now have - these are 22 aircraft, and those eight that can still be delivered. We proposed to equip the aircraft wingtips and increase the capacity of the seats from the current 93 to more than a hundred. This proposal was very interesting for them, and at the moment negotiations are underway on the possible timeframe for upgrading the existing fleet in order to better meet the requirements of the market in the face of strong competition and the falling exchange rate of the Mexican currency and rising fuel prices.

The fact is that the new wing tips not only make it possible to reduce fuel consumption, but, with the same payload, increase the flight range. On some routes it is up to 500-700 kilometres, depending on the height of the airfield. This will allow them to change the strategy if necessary: ​​either to transport 103 passengers for a short distance, or to transport fewer passengers - 93 (in a two-class layout), but to a greater distance, with an increase of 700 km, which means opening new directions and forming a new route network. Therefore, at the moment, the SCAC specialists and our Mexican colleagues are working together to fine tune the route network, taking into account the possibilities offered by the upgraded version of the aircraft. We are also in the negotiation process with City Jet.

- Another airline - Yakutia has recently loudly declared its dissatisfaction with the technical service of SuperJets and about their readiness to abandon in favour of foreign aircraft. In particular, the airline complained of a shortage of replacement engines in the market, for a period of scheduled maintenance. Did you solve this problem?

- The SCAC together with the UEC held a number of meetings to solve this problem. It was decided that a significant part of the engines that are now available in the warehouses of the SCAC and Power Jet, offer airlines as a replacement for the period of repair of their engines, to relieve the tension that has developed in operation. Thus, it was decided to mobilise resources of the SCAC and UEC to create a replacement pool - about 40 engines in order to completely close this problem in operation this year and next. These engines will be offered to airlines on preferential terms.

Speaking specifically about the situation that has developed in the Yakutia airline, they, of course, needed to take care in time to ensure that all issues with the engines were resolved in a timely manner. They delayed the decision on the scheduled engine repair, and it so happened that by the summer season the negotiation process with the engines had not been completed. Which led to the unavailability of engines for the peak season. Now this problem was solved, but, unfortunately, it did not happen as quickly as we would like. The problem was that no one but Aeroflot had access to the spare engines through the PBH program. This happened for various reasons, someone because of savings, someone could not or did not want to agree. Frankly, the cost of renting engines was quite high. SCAC spent a lot of time and effort, together with the Ministry of Industry and Trade, which actively joined this work at the highest level, it was decided to involve the JDC in this work and funding was found.

Now they have increased their capacities both in Rybinsk and in France. Another bottleneck was associated with supplies from our foreign partners, the so-called intermediate support of the cold part of the engine. There is indeed an element of scarcity. And this shortage seriously affects the number of new engines produced, and the scale of aircraft production. JDC is now at a fairly decent amount of repair - about 50 engines a year. Overhaul they are doing in less than 60 days. Previously, engine repair stretched for several months and sometimes reached six months or more. We see great progress in the work of our motorists. Now, the JDC, in parallel with the program of access to spare engines, offers a qualitatively better support program, which is significantly more customer-oriented in terms of cost and efficiency. Cost reduced by almost 40%. This makes the program much more attractive. We hope that these works, along with those measures that we implement as SCAC on the implementation of the service bulletin and improve the supply of spare parts, will allow those critical moments in operation that our airlines had, including Yakutia, to remove.

- Now a significant proportion of SuperJet 100 aircraft is sold through the State Transport Leasing Company. At one time, GTLK announced plans to build its own pool of spare parts for the machines that they supply to customers. Are these plans still valid?

GTLK wanted to buy the same motors itself, but at the last moment decided that it would go through the JDC. I believe that this formation of a pool of spare parts is a good business. There is a market need for spare engines and spare parts in general, so any private investors, state-owned companies that will be ready to participate in this on commercial terms, we, as manufacturers, will be most welcome.

- Do you withstand the production program for the release of the SuperJet 100?

- Yes, everything is on schedule. But the results of the year will depend on how the situation with the engines will develop. Today, the SCAC, in order to support the operation, was forced to part of the motors from the conveyor to send into operation. Priority, today - the support of operators. Because their financial health, flying time, regularity of departures, everything is of great importance for us, since it is pointless to produce airplanes that are idle on the ground due to the lack of spare parts. Therefore, it was a fundamental decision that this year, and perhaps next, the operator will have priorities and, in the conditions of the current deficit, a significant part of the engines available to the SS will be put into operation. The planes themselves are built according to the production plan. However, the plan for the production of aircraft this year will be adjusted to reduce sales. We expect that in 2019, the JDC will fill us with a shortage of engines. Next year, accordingly, as the engines arrive, the implementation plan will be adjusted upwards.