Transaero Airlines plans to order four Airbus SAS A380s in the first success in the country for the double-decker airliner.
Transaero chief executive Olga Pleshakova and Christopher Buckley, Airbus executive vice president for Europe, Asia and the Pacific, signed a memorandum of understanding, and the first deliveries are planned for the fourth quarter of 2015, according to the Russian carrier. The commitment has a value of about $1.5 billion at list price.
"We are very pleased to welcome Transaero as the launch customer for the A380 in Russia," John Leahy, Airbus's sales chief, said in a statement.
Russia's second-biggest airline carrier plans to fit the aircraft in a three-class configuration that will accommodate about 700 passengers, more than is typical on airlines that already have the A380 in operation. Transaero plans to use the A380 on its long-range network of high-density routes from Moscow, it said.
In August, Transaero ordered eight Airbus A320 single-aisle planes. The company operates 19 Boeing 747 jumbo jets and eight Boeing 777 wide-body aircraft, as well as 13 767s and 27 single-aisle 737s, according to Transaero's web site. It also has three Tupolev PSC 214 long-range jets that seat 182 passengers.