"We have to lease foreign aircraft to maintain our share of the international market," Lebedev said. "Our main airliners on these routes -- the Tupolev Tu-134s and Tu-154s -- are worn out and have to be replaced."
The Tu-134s and Tu-154s, some of which have been in service for more than 20 years, also might stop flying to Europe early next year once stricter noise emission requirements are imposed, Lebedev said.
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