Dobrolet (Moscow Sheremetyevo) management met on Tuesday, August 19, to consider possible options to return the still-born carrier to the skies Russia's Interfax news agency has reported.
Among the various options studied, an anonymous source said, was a possible re-registering of the airline as a different legal entity but this did not meet with unanimous board approval. Despite its dormancy, the airline is aiming for a Winter relaunch, the source added.
Another option studied was a resumption of services using an enlarged fleet of locally-built SSJ 100/95s though this has still to meet with board and government approval. While the Aeroflot (SU, Moscow Sheremetyevo) subsidiary has already transferred its two B737-800s to Orenair (Orenburg) following its suspension of operations earlier this month, it has reportedly committed to an order for sixteen B737-800s with Boeing (BOE, Washington National) for delivery from 2017 onwards.
In the wake of the downing of Malaysia Airlines (MH, Kuala Lumpur International) flight MH17 over rebel-controlled territory in eastern Ukraine, the LCC was forced to suspend operations just 6 weeks after launching when EU and US sanctions forced Western firms to suspend trading with the airline. As a result, Dobrolet's lessor, AWAS, terminated its B737-800 lease agreement while MRO firm, Lufthansa Technik, also ended its dealings with the airline.
Russia is currently studying ways to boosting the country's local aviation industry while striving to wean it off of its dependence on US and European-owned and leased aircraft.
