Vostokavia 767-300ER

As the retirement age for Vostokavia's gas-guzzling Il-96s sneaked closer, the management team for the airline wanted to find a Western-built replacement for the type that would have comparable range and better fuel efficiency to take on the airline's flagship routes from Far Eastern airports like Vladivostok and Magadan to Moscow. In 2009, the airline wet-leased a pair of Boeing 757s to trial the aircraft on these routes. The 757s served for only two years without even being painted into the airline's livery until they were returned to the lessor in 2011.

Despite the successful trials of the 757s, Vostokavia placed an order for nine Boeing 767-300ERs in 2010, preferring the 757's larger sister with more range and passenger capacity. The first example, EI-PAJ, arrived in Vladivostok in 2011 after being ferried transpacific straight from Boeing Field in the airline's old livery.

Vostokavia currently operates some of the last 767s ever built along with Air Astana. The aircraft are the perfect fit for the medium- to long-haul operations Vostokavia assigns the aircraft to, with some examples even visiting some of the airlines' other East Asian destinations, with the type being regular visitors to Tokyo/Narita and Shanghai/Pudong.

AIRCRAFT INFORMATION

Boeing 767-3TIER - EI-PAL
September 2011 delivered to Vostokavia
January 2018 painted in new livery (shown here)
April 2020 stored in Novosibirsk
June 2020 returned to service
October 2020 stored in Vladivostok