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February, 5 2007
00:00
Today “Vladivostok Air’s” fleet was enlarged by an A-320 jetliner – the first aircraft of the foreign production in the Russian Far East.
Presently, the company’s fleet consists of 50 various aircrafts, among which there are TU-204-300s — the latest models custom-built in Russia especially for “Vladivostok Air”. And now Airbus’ A-320 jetliner starts serving the passengers’ needs.
Present at the ceremonial welcome held in the airport of Vladivostok were the representatives of Primorsky administration, Vladivostok Eparchy, the city mayor of Artyom. Archbishop Veniamin sanctified the new airplane.
The A-320 airplane was piloted by “Vladivostok Air” crew headed by Flight Instructor Vadim Kim. Airbus’ representatives and five Russian and foreign engineers (who arrived to help the company’s crews master the operating procedures) were the first passengers of the jetliner.
According to Director General Vladimir Saibel, the new jetliner purchased by the company is a serious entry to the international civil aviation marketplace. The A-320 is a noted for economic efficiency and considerably low operating costs. In addition to that, the A-320 family jetliners are exclusively ecological, with their lowest fuel consumption and toxic fumes, as well as the minimal “noise track” in their class.
— Operating an airbus is one of the hardest tasks for pilots, — says Mr. Alexander Kiselyov, Captain of “Vladivostok Air” 2nd air crew. —“Vladivostok Air” crews spent 2 months mastering this science at Airbus’ training center at Toulouse. Airbus means first of all a new piloting philosophy. Some operations are easier, and some require additional training. To master an airbus piloting is, I would say, like shifting from a calculator to a computer. To put it simply, the computer, if compared to the calculator when you just pressed the buttons, lets you work with algorithms and solve more complex issues.
The Airbus jetliner was mentioned to compete with the Boeing. Presently, it is widely recognized that Boeing has failed to find a competitive solution in 100-180 seats segment. The fact that Boeing-787 was designed on the basis of the Airbus’ cabin ergonomics proves this. Airbus’ experience has also turned a great help for Russian engineers who are working to design a new Russian regional airplane.
The jetliner’s cabin layout is wide and comfortable, with 2 salons for 150 passenger seats (12 business class seats and 138 economy class seats). The A-320’s cabin design and layout remind the TU-204-300 aircraft custom-built by the company’s request. The only difference is that the new jetliner has two salons (while the TU-204 has three), and the business class salon is wider which logically means more comfort for the passengers.
According to Mr. Vladimir Saibel, the new airplane is to serve the international routes connecting Vladivostok with the airports of South Korea, Thailand, Japan, and China. The company plans to purchase five more jetliners of the same type, which will serve domestic flights as well.
JSC „Vladivostok Avia“ PR Departmentoso@vladavia. ru
