A380-800 in Transaero livery. Courtesy, Airbus

Transaero Airlines (UN) signed an agreement with the Russian Development Bank’s VEB-leasing to finance four Airbus A380s from an October 2011 memorandum of understanding. The deal makes UN the launch customer for the A380 in Russia, CIS and Eastern Europe ( ATW Daily News, Oct. 30 ).

The aircraft will feature a three-class cabin layout, seating about 700 passengers. UN has not announced an engine selection.

UN is the second largest Russian carrier, with a fleet of 77 aircraft, comprising 19 Boeing 747s, 13 777s, 14 767s, 28 737s and three Tupolev Tu-214s. It is the only one carrier in the country that operates 747s.