Sberbank is the largest bank in Russia, accounting for 28.9% of aggregate Russian banking assets as of Jan. 1, 2013. Sberbank chairman and CEO Herman Gref, in Washington DC for a signing ceremony with Boeing, told reporters that the 737-800 deal marked a “landmark” step for the bank in the aircraft leasing business. “The next deal will be a big deal—30 to 50 aircraft,” he said. “We see that the Russian market has a very deep potential for Boeing products.”
Gref said Sberbank Leasing, the bank’s leasing arm, plans to buy more than 100 aircraft over the next 10 years to place with Russian airlines, adding, “Most of these airplanes will be Boeing 737s, the most useful plane for the Russian market.”
He said Sberbank is in discussions with Aeroflot and several other Russian airlines regarding potential aircraft leasing deals.
The 12 737-800s for Transaero, valued at more than $1 billion at list prices, “will help lay the groundwork for developing an environment for finance and operational leasing of imported aircraft in Russia,” Boeing said in a statement. The aircraft are slated for delivery in 2015 and 2016.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Boeing International president Shep Hill said Sberbank being involved in aircraft leasing provides “flexibility” for Russian airlines looking to finance aircraft. “We think it’s another tool that can be used by the airlines,” he said, adding that Boeing projects demand for 1,000 commercial aircraft in Russia over the next 20 years.
(Aaron Karp - ATW News)
No comments:
Post a Comment