Aeroflot to reduce business class in 29 aircraft to increase seat capacity

MOSCOW. March 13 (Interfax) - Aeroflot will carry out a cabin reconfiguration in 29 Boeing 737-800 and Airbus A320ceo aircraft, reducing the number of seats in business class and increasing it in economy, the company said.

As a result of the reconfiguration, 22 of the 37 Boeing 737-800s, designed to carry 158 passengers (20 business, 138 economy), will receive a cabin with 162 seats (12 business, 150 economy). On 15 aircraft of this type, the cabin configuration for 158 seats will be retained - they will be operated on routes with higher demand for a premium class of service.

On seven Airbus A320ceo aircraft, the cabin configuration will change from 140 (20 business, 120 economy) to 158 seats (8 business, 150 economy). The entire Aeroflot A320ceo fleet will therefore receive a uniform cabin configuration for 158 passengers.

"As a result, the increase in seat capacity of Aeroflot's narrow-body fleet will be 214 seats (+1.5%). In total, due to the new cabin configuration, the airline will be able to carry up to 230,000 additional passengers annually," the company said. The seat pitch in all service classes will remain within the air carrier's standards.

It is planned that the work will be completed during Q2 2026. Currently, reconfiguration has been completed on six aircraft. The work is being carried out at the facilities of the subsidiary company Aeroflot Technics.

Aeroflot Group's passenger traffic amounted to 55.3 million people last year, which corresponds to the level of the previous year (+0.1%). Load factor increased to 90.2% (+0.6 p.p.). Due to Western sanctions, Russian airlines are deprived of the opportunity to replenish their aircraft fleet with foreign equipment. Deliveries of Russian medium-haul MC-21 aircraft are expected from the end of 2026.