Transaero Airlines (Moscow Vnukovo) has signed a Partnership Agreement with the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) under which the ICBC will provide a range of legal and marketing services aimed at attracting investment for the airline.

"Transaero is considering the possibility of attracting high-quality strategic investors who share the company's strategy and are able to increase the value of the company not only through direct investment, but also through their experience, expertise and capabilities," a joint communique said.

Transaero has an existing relationship with the bank through its ICBC Leasing subsidiary. The carrier is to lease six Airbus A321-200s, the first of which is due for delivery next year.

The onset of Western sanctions has seen Russian business increasingly turning to China and Asia as whole for its financial and economic needs. In a bid to tap into growing trade ties between Russia and China, Transaero recently began dedicated cargo flights from Beijing Capital to Novosibirsk flights using a Tu-204(F).