WASHINGTON/MOSCOW, April 4 (RIA Novosti) - Russia’s largest bank Sberbank, its subsidiary Sberbank Leasing and US aerospace and defense corporation Boeing have reached an agreement on an order for 12 Next-Generation 737-800 aircraft, worth over $1 billion, Sberbank reported Thursday.
The airplanes are intended for operational leasing under Sberbank’s contract with the Transaero airline, one of Sberbank’s key corporate customers.
The deal will “help lay the groundwork for developing an environment for finance and operational leasing of imported aircraft in Russia,” Sberbank said.
“The agreement that we reached today marks a very significant step forward and is evidence of Sberbank’s commitment to aviation financing,” Sberbank quoted its CEO German Gref as saying.
“It substantially contributes to the development of trade and economic relations between Russia and the United States,” Gref also said.
Shep Hill, president of Boeing International, was quoted as saying that his company’s partnership with “Russian industry and the aerospace sector in particular date back over 40 years.”
“Boeing is honored to have long and mutually beneficial relationships with outstanding customers and partners and is now privileged to enjoy the support and confidence of Sberbank as the bank moves into aircraft leasing,” he said.
The Boeing 737-800 is one of the best-selling versions of the successful Next-Generation 737 family.
