On September 10, four men cut the symbolic red strip, the ceremony opening the three-day business aviation show at Moscow Vnukovo (VKO) Airport’s business aviation center. Doing the honors were Vasily Alexandrov, general director of Vnukovo airport (VKO); Valery Ochirov, chairman of Russia United Business Aviation Association (RUBAA); Georgy Sharov, general director of Center of Business Aviation (Vnukovo-3); and Alexander Evdokimov, general director of Jet Transfer.
Even though compared to last year, the Russian economy and business aviation are in single- and double-digit decline, respectively, the show attracted a sufficient number of local and foreign exhibitors, filling 40 booths in one of the FBO’s heated hangars. These included Airbus Corporate Jets (exhibiting an MJet-operated ACJ319); Airbus Helicopters (with a full-scale mockup of the VIP-configured H175 at HeliPort Moscow stand); Bombardier (Challenger 350, 650, Global 6000), Gulfstream (G650ER, G450, G280); Dassault (Falcon 7X, 2000LXS); Embraer (Phenom 300, Legacy 500 and Legacy 650); Cessna (Latitude, Citation M2, Grand Caravan); Beechcraft (King Air 350i); Pilatus (PC-12NG); Bell (427GX); and AgustaWestland (A109, AW139).
In addition to the aircraft brought by manufacturers or their sales agents, some recently delivered business jets are exhibited by air charter companies VistaJet (a Challenger 350) and Silk Way Business Aviation (a G650 accepted in March 2015). In all, there are more than 20 Western-built business jets and three helicopters on display. And yet the largest aircraft in the static line is Russian-made.
For the first time ever, Russia’s Special Air Detachment (SLO) serving president Putin and his ministers, takes part in an airshow, demonstrating a Tupolev Tu-204-300. The aircraft (registration RA-64057) has a maximum gross weight of 105 metric tons, which is some 30 tons greater that of the closest foreign competitor at Vnukovo. So, even though the show is somewhat smaller this year than two to three years ago, those who come shall not be disappointed. Where else can they inspect a Russian government’s VIP jet inside and out? Meantime, SLO is awaiting two more Tu-204-300s in VIP configuration, scheduled for delivery in the late 2015 and early 2016. These are being completed at UAC’s Ulianovsk-SP plant in Ulianovsk.
Even though JetExpo does not have a flight display program, the show site is, perhaps significantly, close to the airport’s runway, giving visitors a good view of aircraft taking off and landing. Coincidence or not, opening day visitors saw SLO’s Il-96-300 widebody quadjets and Tu-204/214 narrowbodies in the air, including one Tu-214 performing touch-and-goes “for pilots’ practice.”
JetExpo’2015 will be open for three days, with approximately 7,000 industry specialists expected to attend. The organizers deliberately keep the show—which is celebrating its 10-year anniversary this year—small and narrowly focused on professionals in business aviation. Comparatively, MAKS’2015 at Ramenskoye aerodrome in Zhukovsky, which closed two weeks ago, attracted nearly half a million people, most during the public days.
