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Aeroflot Mulls Homes for Low-Coster

National air carrier Aeroflot may base its planned low-cost subsidiary at either Sheremetyevo Airport or Vnukovo, the company’s CEO, Vitaly Savelyev, said.

“Today, we can’t wait until someone builds an airport for us,” Savelyev said Wednesday in an interview on Rossiya 24 television channel.

“An airport should be within grasp, that is why we will start with the big ones,” he said, noting that negotiations with Vnukovo Airport were already under way.

The new low-cost carrier being created by Aeroflot will operate a fleet of eight Airbus-320 or Boeing-737 planes in the first year, with more planes to be added later, he said.

The authorities are currently considering a number of measures to facilitate the creation of low-cost airlines. These include allowing the sale of nonrefundable tickets, authorizing the introduction of a baggage fee and authorizing the employment of foreign pilots.

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