DALLAS - Aeroflot (SU) has bought eight leased aircraft from foreign leasing companies as a way to meet its contractual obligations.

While we don't know yet from which leasing companies the aircraft came from, SU told Reuters that it purchased eight Airbus A330-300s. It seems that the acquisition could be a way for SU to maintain good relationships with these firms, which have been directly impacted by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

As part of the sanctions, many lessors had to terminate their leasing contracts with Russian airlines. However, due to airspace closures, it was extremely hard for lessors to repossess their aircraft based in Russia.

Vladimir Putin later signed a bill allocating Russian registrations to the aircraft in question, essentially making them the property of Russian carriers, a move that did not sit well with international lessors.

Aeroflot A330 Fleet

Aeroflot operates 12 A330-300 aircraft, which are all leased from foreign companies. Vistavia Ireland DAC and Aviasky Ireland DAC own eight of these aircraft. Two other aircraft belong to GECAS, and Goshawk and AerCap each own one.

However, they are not used a lot on international flights, as SU almost stopped flying out of Russia due to sanctions and aircraft lessor issues. The airline only flies to a few countries, including Azerbaijan, Armenia, Sri Lanka, and Iran.

With this new purchase, SU may try to smoothen its relationships with aircraft lessors, while ensuring the security of the fleet. However, the crisis is not over, and we could see new financial operations from airlines in Russia.

Featured image: This is one of SU's A330-300 aircraft. Photo: Davide Calabresi/Airways