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Russia-based private airline S7 Group has halted its plans to introduce budget carrier Citrus due to the cancellation of aircraft supplies, reported Reuters.
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The company will reportedly make a decision on the project’s future by the end of the year.
Plans for the low-cost airline, which is intended for use on regional routes, with operational bases at the airports of Kazan and Omsk, were unveiled last year.
Citrus was originally scheduled for launch in July.
Using four Airbus A320neos, its passenger-carrying capacity for the first year was intended to be one million.
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By GlobalDataBy adding four to six aircraft each year, the airline aimed to increase its capacity to seven million passengers by 2024.
The airline was planned to be based on the Air Operator’s Certificate granted to Globus Airlines.
The suspension of the Citrus launch comes amid airspace bans on Russia by Western nations as punitive action for its offensive against Ukraine.
The conflict has also resulted in aviation firms, including Boeing and Airbus, pausing parts, maintenance and technical support for Russian carriers.
S7 Group said: “In 2022, deliveries of the aircraft required to launch the low-cost airline will not take place, so the development of the airline with this business model is unfortunately not possible now.”
Last month, the UK Government barred three Russian carriers from selling unused landing slots at UK airports to build pressure on Russia for its military attack on Ukraine.
The decision impacted Aeroflot, Ural Airlines and Rossiya Airlines.
