Facing the collapse of a three-billion dollar order between Aeroflot and Boeing, Alexander Lebedev, a man with a thirty-percent stake in the Russian carrier, took matters into his own hands this morning. Rather than risk the implosion of the deal, Mr. Lebedev signed a deal to purchase twenty-two long range aircraft on behalf of Aeroflot, floating his own assets as collateral. Aeroflot faced a Boeing imposed deadline on whether to select either the Boeing 787 or the Airbus A350 XWB. The board of Aeroflot’s refusal to make a commitment to either aircraft posed a problem for both Boeing, which is fast selling out of production slots of its twin-engine, 787 aircraft. With Boeing unwilling to reserve slots for any longer, Aeroflot risked losing the earlier production slots if it did not make a formal commitment by the agreed upon date. Boeing refused to comment on the order– only confirming that a deal had occurred. Lebedev’s company reportedly “signed the deal to keep Aeroflot’s options open in case the airline’s full board eventually decides to buy the Dreamliner.” Still, some analysts are skeptic of board approval for the order. In recent months, Russian interests have purchased a significant stake in the parent company of Airbus. Could a sole Airbus A350 XWB order be a way of furthering Russian influence over the predominantly European Airbus? For now, Ledebev begs to differ.

Source: Reuters