Aeroflot previously placed an order for 22 787-8 Dreamliners. Transaero, the first private airline in Russia, has ordered four 787-8 Dreamliners. In April of this year, Sberbank Leasing announced an order for 12 Next-Generation 737-800s, which will be leased to Transaero. UTair Aviation of Russia finalized an order in 2011 for 40 Next-Generation 737s. (See Page 14.) Aviation Capital Services, a subsidiary leasing company of the State Corporation of Russian Technologies (Rostech), announced a commitment to purchase 35 737 MAX airplanes. In addition, Boeing has delivered three of the five 747-8 Freighters ordered by the Volga-Dnepr Group. Boeing is working with Russian interests to expand financing and leasing opportunities for Boeing airplanes there and in the Commonwealth of Independent States. As a result of a partnership begun in 2011 between Boeing Capital and Sberbank, BEOING FRNOT IERS / AUGUST 2013 33 It typically takes about 11 hours to fly nonstop between Seattle and Moscow, but for some Boeing engineers the distance is often covered in the blink of an eye at the end of their workday. The Boeing Design Center in Moscow works in concert with Boeing engineers in Everett, Wash., to provide around-the-clock design support for Boeing commercial airplane programs, and the arrangement has been particularly important for the 787 program. Everett engineers can begin a work package and transfer it to Moscow at the end of their workday. The Moscow engineers then continue the project and, if additional work is needed, transfer it back to Everett before going home. “This is a great example of Boeing’s long-standing strategy to operate globally on a 24/7 basis,” said Shep Hill, president, Boeing International, and senior vice president, Business Development and Strategy. “When Everett wraps up work for the day, Moscow picks up the ball and takes it to the next level. It’s successful because they’ve worked through cultural and language differences, shared best practices and integrated their IT networks.” It also underscores the importance of a relationship between Boeing and Russia that formally began 20 years ago next month, with the 1993 opening of the Boeing Technical Research Center in Moscow to tap the talent of Russian scientists and information technology specialists to work on Boeing contracts in commercial aviation, information technology and space. After the MAKS 2013 air show near Moscow ends on Sept. 1, this anniversary will be celebrated with a special stakeholder event attended by some of Boeing’s senior executives. But the ties between Boeing and Russia go back even further. It was the exploration of a new frontier—space—that brought Boeing and what was then the Soviet Union together long before the research center opened in Moscow. In July 1975, a U.S. Apollo command module built by Boeing heritage company North American Aviation docked with a Soviet Soyuz spacecraft. Boeing’s relationship with Russia went on years later to include collaboration on the International Space Station. Today, Boeing’s partnership with Russia is more Earth-bound. Boeing Commercial Airplanes has found Russia to be an excellent source of engineering expertise, and an important supplier of titanium and titanium parts. “We have a wonderful relationship that is based on mutual trust and a mutual commitment to technical excellence,” Hill said. “Our collaboration in technical, engineering and industrial programs has played an important role in improving the productivity and performance of The Boeing Company and has also directly and beneficially supported our competitive differentiation leading to several important commercial airplane orders in recent years.” In 2011, Aeroflot Russian Airlines, the nation’s flag carrier, ordered 16 Boeing 777-300ER (Extended Range) jetliners. Four have been delivered, making it the first airline in Russia to operate the model. PHOTOS AND ILLUSTRATION: (From far left) Symbolizing Russia’s development and role in the world economy, the Moscow International Business Center, or “Moscow City,” will combine business, living space and entertainment in one location. SHUTERSTOCK The Boeing Design Center team in Moscow includes Ekaterina Altunina, from left, Anna Synkova (standing), Dmitry Rubtsov, Nikolay Erokhov and Julia Varkalova. MIKHAIL MELNIKOV Boeing and Russia are upgrading the Functional Cargo Block, shown after its launch in 1998. The first major component of the International Space Station, it provided the station’s initial power and propulsion. NASA An artist’s concept of a Boeing 777-300ER (Extended Range) in Aeroflot Russian Airlines livery. BOEING
Frontiers August 2013 Issue
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