S7 Airlines (S7, Novosibirsk) is to base six E170s at Novosibirsk airport this summer as it rebuilds its base in the Siberian region, reports Russian Aviation Insider. The base will provide feeder flights to nearby Siberia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. Novosibirsk was S7's original home, however it currently operates considerably more flights from Moscow Domodedovo.
S7 penned a deal with GECAS late last year for seventeen E170s, and the aircraft are due to start coming into operation this month.
In a statement released at the time of the deal, S7 CEO Vladimir Objedkov said that the new E170s would help the airline to develop its regional network. "We see this segment as highly potential," Objedkov said. "Today, air transportation is concentrated in Moscow, and passengers from Ural cities often have to fly to the Far East through a connecting flight in Moscow. The first Embraers will be based at the Novosibirsk Tolmachevo airport which is located well enough to serve as an efficient hub for other regions. The new type of airliners will allow us to launch flights from small and hard to reach cities, where the use of medium-haul aircrafts is impossible."
Based on S7's summer timetable, Russian Aviaiton Insider further speculates that S7 will also need a minimum of twelve A320 and B737-800 aircraft to be based at Novosibirsk.
