Boeing 737-200Adv | 1995

Airline - Moscavia
Aircraft - Boeing 737-200Adv | EI-NTS
Delivered to Northern Air, 1974
Sold to Louisiana Air Limited, 1989
Transferred to CaliConnect, 1993
Sold to AerCap, 1997
Leased to MoscAvia, 1997
Returned to AerCap, 2010
Stored at Dublin Airport, 2010
Sold to Hemsworth Aviation, 2012
Stored at St Thomas Cyril E King Airport, 2013
Livery - Standard 1994
Country - Russia

In 1995, Moscavia took delivery of three leased 737-200s from AerCap, with a further five in 1997, and six more in 2001, for a total fleet size of fourteen. These served to help phase out the few very old Tu-134 and Yak-40 planes the airline had in its fleet at the time. At the same time, however, eleven Tu-154s joined the existing fleet of 44 aircraft of the type between 1994 and 1996 - these eleven were picked up from other Russian startup carriers which had quickly collapsed, just a few years after being founded. Apart from simply increasing the number of aircraft operated by the airline, the 737-200Adv also created an impression of safety and stability, as western-built airliners were at the time (as well as now) seen as better and safer both by Russians and by foreigners traveling into Russia. As Moscavia continued to grow, it created an official hub at Pulkovo airport in St Petersburg in 1998, launching a number of domestic routes from the city and also - more notably - international flights to Europe, including destinations like London, Zurich, Paris, Riga, and Helsinki. Some of these routes were operated by the newly-introduced 737-200s (which were in general mostly operated on international routes), however from the outset of 737 deliveries the plan was to expand the fleet further with more modern types.