Atlant-Soyuz struggles to find profitable niche for EMB-120s
By Tom Zaitsev
Moscow government carrier Atlant-Soyuz is exploring alternative ways to use its Embraer EMB-120 turboprops after withdrawing them from scheduled flights.
It follows an effective freeze on the carrier's programme to develop intra-regional air services after their commercial viability came into question.
To carry out the project, Atlant-Soyuz planned to acquire 15 EMB-120s. Three have been brought in and a dozen are due for delivery.
Last year the airline launched regular EMB-120 flights from Moscow Vnukovo to cities in central Russia, as well as Minsk and Grodno in Belarus. But it recently cut the network back to just Pskov and the Latvian city of Liepaja, and abandoned both over the past month.
Atlant-Soyuz cites a lack of revenue generated on domestic routes to make the operation profitable.
© Embraer |
The carrier has also failed to secure permission from Latvian authorities to provide scheduled services from Liepaja to western Europe.
All three EMB-120s remain on the ground, but the company says there are no plans to cancel the delivery of two more this year and another seven next year.
"We'll put these aircraft to use after making a final decision [on the intra-regional programme]," the company says. "Options include subleasing them domestically or abroad, deploying them on charter routes and refurbishing several as VIP models."
