Having secured support of local authorities, Avialine group has begun the process of establishing a new kind of services for corporate and business clients based in Moscow and adjoining areas.

The new service would be an aviation analogue of that widely offered in Russia on 14-16 seat GAZ Gazel vans by Avtoline system. Last week Avialine performed first flights, on Yak-40 and Il-103 airplanes, from Moscow's Domodedovo airport to Tula, Oryel and Kursk. The number of the potential users of these services in the three cities is expected to be 600, 400 and 500, respectively.

Other destinations in the regions around Moscow are under consideration. Those fall into two zones, one up to 200 km, the other up to 400 km. Avialine people says that their ultimate goal is to cover all major cities and towns of Central Russia. "Economic cooperation between the central regions is growing, and it needs to be supplemented by transport and information links", said Mr. Shantsev, first deputy head of Moscow city administration.

Structurally, Avialine group consists of two core elements. The first one, "Avialine Transport-Communications System", is registered as a consumer society. Its task is to fulfill needs of its members in transport operations and information support. The consumer society is open for state establishments, such as regional administrations and unitary state enterprises, as well as commercial companies and physical persons.

The second core element is Avialine-Center joint-stock company. It is tasked with control, long-term planning, financial and propriety management. Such a structure was chosen to minimize tax payments and thus achieve the highest possible economic effectiveness.

Financial support for Avialine system is provided by the largest national bank, the Savings Banks of the Russian Federation.

Directors and high-ranking managers of small and medium commercial and state structures are viewed as primary users of Avialine services. Those people are sensitive to comfort, requiring adequate cabin environment aboard aircraft. Avialine hopes that the airframes chosen are compliant with the required comfort standards. These are the Ilyushin Il-103 five-seat single piston airplane, the Yakovlev Yak-40 tri-jet (with VIP cabin for 10-16 passengers) and the Mil Mi-34 with four seats. Avialine fleet now consists of only one Yak-40 in VIP layout (the plane is hired for LII, Gromov's Flight Test and Research Institute), and a single Mi-34S (owned). Negotiations are in progress with Ilyushin company on the Il-103.

While the Yak-40 has a long history of operational life, the Il-103 and Mi-34 are new designs that have recently acquired certification. The Il-103, powered by a Teledyne Continental engine, holds Russian (to AP-23) and US (to FAR part 23) airworthiness certificates. Its production is set at the LMZ factory in Lukhovisty near Moscow, a member in the RSK MiG's Voronin Production Center. The Mi-34S is the only fully certified Russian light helicopter. It is powered by a single 340-hp Vedeneyev M-14 nine-cylinder piston engine running on automobile petrol.

Avialine is also evaluating the Myasistchev M-101T Gzhel (resembling the TBM-700) a seven-seat airplane with a single turboprop engine and a pressurized cabin. At the time being the Gzhel is limited to cargo flights, so it can be used for transportation of passengers only after obtaining the respective certificate.

Avialine senior manager Vyatcheslav Ivanov told AWN that the first flights from Domodedovo to Tula, Oryol and Kursk are a "try-it" project aimed at understanding market potential and requirements. He said that aircraft manufacturers are ready to supply their aircraft in sufficient quantities to Avialine should the market demand comes to expectation. Currently eight Il-103 are assembled and available from Lukhovisty factory, while Sokol plant in Nizhny Novgorod has completed five M-101Ts in passenger version. The Light Helicopter division of Mil and the associated Progress factory have five Mi-34s ready for flights.