Nordwind Airlines denied information on March 17 about negotiations for the sale to the RWB group (Wildberries&Russ). "These data are not true," the carrier said in a statement. The airline emphasized that it is carrying out the flight program in full. Earlier, on March 16, Kommersant, citing sources, reported that RWB had sent purchase offers to several Russian airlines with experience in charter transportation, including Nordwind and Azur Air. Azur Air also stated that negotiations were not underway. According to Kommersant's sources, RWB's interest in the deal remains, but the parties have not reached a consensus on the price. RWB declined to comment.
Why Wildberries Needs an Airline: Logic Through the Fun & Sun Tour Operator
Kommersant's sources explain RWB's interest by its partnership with the Fun & Sun tour operator. Having its own carrier will allow it to buy blocks of seats with a minimum markup or at cost. Given the partners' plans to build hotels in Egypt and Turkey, this factor is called the main incentive for the deal. RWB sent offers specifically to airlines with experience in charter transportation, not regular carriers.
In Azur Air's summer program, seats are sold only by the Fun & Sun tour operator, noted a Kommersant source close to the airline. In fact, this is about vertical integration: RWB wants to close the tourist chain from the sale of the tour to the boarding pass.
WB Negotiations with Azur Air: Why the Deal is in Question
A serious obstacle remains the structure of the fleet. After 2022, Azur Air has 23 aircraft left, of which 12 are on the wing. Four aircraft belong to the airline itself, eight to the Irish lessor Air Azex Leasing Limited Ireland, and the remaining non-flying machines to other foreign lessors. Unresolved property rights to 11 aircraft make the deal legally complex: the buyer is unlikely to take "someone else's" aircraft with leasing debts, and without them, the seller will not go for the deal, according to Kommersant's sources.
On March 12, Rosaviatsiya limited the validity of Azur Air's operator certificate; if the carrier does not eliminate the identified violations by June 8, the certificate will be revoked. Azur Air itself reported that it had eliminated 75% of the shortcomings during the inspection, and the rest two days after its completion. Most Kommersant sources do not expect the certificate to be revoked.
Azur Air: Financial Indicators and Asset Valuation
- Passenger traffic in 2025: 2.2 million people (−4% compared to 2024)
- Net loss in 2024: 3.9 billion rubles
- Revenue in 2024: 24 billion rubles
- Fleet: 23 aircraft, of which 12 are on the wing — 6 Boeing 767s and 6 Boeing 757s
- Valuation (Freedom Finance Global): 14–28 billion rubles, closer to the lower limit
- Valuation of own fleet (Alfa-Bank): 7–10 billion rubles for four own Boeings
RWB has recently been actively expanding its portfolio outside of e-commerce: at the end of 2025, the group bought the Rive Gauche chain, participated in the privatization of UzPost in Uzbekistan, and bought an airport near Magas in Ingushetia. An airline would be the next step in this diversification logic.
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