Airbus A330-300 | 1996

Airline - Russian International Airlines
Aircraft - Airbus A330-300 | VQ-BDT
Delivered to VEB Leasing, 1996
Leased to Russian International Airlines, 1993
Returned to VEB Leasing, 2018
Leased to Almaz, 2018
Livery - Standard 1992
Country - Russia

Starting in 1996, Russian International Airlines took delivery of an order for ten Airbus A330-300s, which were to serve as the airline's long-haul flagship (as described before). They were introduced primarily on routes to North America, but gradually took over the carrier's most important Asian routes as well. The first A330 to be delivered was registered VQ-BDT and named after Pyotr Bagration, a prominent Russian general in the Napoleonic Wars. As shown below, RIA's A330s were fitted with 18 lie-flat First Class seats in a 2-2-2 configuration, 56 Business Class configured 2-3-2, and 234 seats in Economy, for a total capacity of 308. These A330s were also the airline's first aircraft type to feature personal entertainment screens at every seat - First and Business Class had on-demand systems, while the screens in Economy showed a selection of looping movies throughout the flight that could be switched between at will. Additionally, the ten A330s were the last aircraft to be delivered to Russian International Airlines featuring First Class.