Aeroflot (SU, Moscow Sheremetyevo) is to become the majority shareholder in the newly announced Russian Far Eastern carrier, Taiga Airline (2013) (Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk). Formed from the merger of SAT Airlines (Russian Federation) (Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk) and Vladivostok Air (Vladivostok), the Sakhalin local government will hold a minority stake. According to ATW, Aeroflot signed an agreement with the Sakhalin regional authorities to purchase 49% of the new carrier at the end of August. This follows after Aeroflot acquired SAT Airlines outright from Russian state corporation, Rostechnology, at the end of 2011 before transferring to it a 52.2% stake held in Vladivostok Air in March this year. Vladivostok Air will now become a subsidiary of Taiga and will base its fleet of six A320s out of Vladivostok though it will cease operating its fleet of six Tu-204-300s. Taiga is on course to begin operations later this year.