One of the founders of the Russian "Kievskaya Ploshchad" company, Zarah Iliev, might be the owner of the new business jet Airbus A320neo that made its way to Russia despite sanctions prohibiting the supply of foreign aircraft from the EU, according to The Moscow Times.
Iliev is under sanctions from the US and the UK. According to Forbes, his fortune is about $3 billion. One source said Iliev purchased his aircraft to replace the old Airbus A318CJ.
This Airbus Corporate Jet was released from the factory at the end of 2019 with serial number 8774. In January 2020, it flew to Basel for VIP interior fitting and painting, which took an entire year.
The plane was purchased through a San Marino-registered company with an address in Malta, and it received the number T7-HHH. In the summer of 2022, the Airbus ACJ320neo changed its registration to Azerbaijan and received a new number, 4K-5555. It then received a Tajik number, EY-565, and on 14 June, it was registered again in Russia with the RA-73889 number.
The Airbus A320neo became the first ACJ business jet from the NEO family in Russia. It is an improved version of the Airbus A320 family aircraft. With 25 passengers on board, the jet can cover a distance of 11.1 thousand kilometers and stay in the air for up to 13 hours. There are only ten such business jets worldwide.
