Flight International - August 18, 2015

38 | Flight International | 18-31 August 2015 flightglobal.com

RUSSIA

SPECIAL REPORT

STEPHEN TRIMBLE MOSCOW

On the verge of relocation to

aid development, start-up

Frigate Ecojet hopes to

entice the market with its

unique widebody concept

GETTING IN SHAPE

The Frigate Ecojet’s unique oval fuselage could give airlines the opportunity to replace two closely spaced narrowbody operations with a single flight

The concept features a three-aisle cabin

Ecojet

L

aunching a three-aisle widebody air-

liner with a geometrically unique, oval

fuselage cross section always seemed

an uphill struggle for a start-up Rus-

sian manufacturer, but the challenge in the

end proved overwhelming.

“It is impossible to develop and create this

kind of aircraft here,” says Sergey Grachev, di-

rector of marketing sales for Frigate Ecojet, a

subsidiary of the Rosavia consortium.

The problem was geographic, not technical.

Despite a nearly 25-year relationship with

Russian industry, Frigate Ecojet is moving out

of Moscow and relocating to a still-undisclosed

city in Europe. There, it plans to complete the

definition phase for the medium-haul, wide-

body airliner, launch production, undergo cer-

tification testing with the European Aviation

Safety Agency and begin deliveries.

NEW SEGMENT

If the plan succeeds, this renamed and up-

dated concept originally launched by Tu-

polev as the Tu-304 in the early 1990s will

open a whole new market segment for air

transport in the early 2020s.

The business case for the aircraft has not

changed. More than half of Airbus A330 and

Boeing 787 fleets are operating routes under

2,000nm (3,700km), but are optimised to fly

more than 6,000nm. This means the aircraft

are heavier than necessary for the majority of

their routes, Grachev says.

Specifically, the average annual cost for one

metric tonne of aircraft is $140,000. This simple

calculation drove Tupolev designer Victor Kli-

mov in the early 1990s to design the Tu-304. Its

oval cross section is wide enough to accommo-

date 10-abreast seating in the economy cabin

with three aisles. That allows it to carry as many

passengers as an A330-300, but weigh 17t less

with the fuselage length of an A310-300.

The trade-off for the reduced weight is lower

range. Frigate Ecojet is aiming to achieve a

maximum range of slightly less than 2,000nm.

The vast difference in range performance

could work to Frigate Ecojet’s advantage,

Grachev says. It has no ambition to compete

against Airbus and Boeing head to head. The

goal is to persuade airlines to view the oval air-

liner as a complementary asset to their existing

widebodies, rather than a direct competitor.

Grachev also proposes that airlines could

replace two closely spaced narrowbody opera-

tions with a single flight by the Frigate Ecojet.

“If you change two close flights for narrow-

body for one aircraft like this you dramatical-

ly lower the cost of seats,” he says.

It is no secret which widebody manufacturer

Frigate Ecojet hopes to emulate the most. To

help keep training costs low for airlines, it plans

to seek a common type rating from EASA with

another widebody. Grachev declines to identify

which, but notes that the Frigate Ecojet cockpit

includes a sidestick control. That appears to

align the type rating with an Airbus cockpit.

LONG ROAD

The company faces a long development period.

It was expected to finalise the conceptual design

by mid-year, the move into the definition phase.

It is still on track to complete first flight in 2018

or 2019 and reach entry into service in 2021,

Grachev says.

Answering the question why Frigate Ecojet

must leave Moscow is less straightforward for

Grachev. “For you to best understand, I need at

minimum three hours” to explain, he says.

But the move is essentially driven by the

wide gulf in certification standards between

Russia and EASA, which shares a bilateral

agreement on type certification with the US

Federal Aviation Administration.

Russian certification standards are not yet

fully harmonised with airworthiness require-

ments set by EASA and the FAA. As a Mos-

cow-based company, Frigate Ecojet is required

to seek certification first by Russian authorities,

then re-do at least 30% of the certification test-

ing for EASA, he says. However, if it is based in

Europe, it can apply directly to EASA for a

type certificate first, with relatively little addi-

tional work required to receive a reciprocal

agreement from the FAA. ■

Ecojet