Vnukovo Airlines, Russia's third largest carrier, will refurbish some of its aircraft in an effort to target VIP passengers under its Five Star program.

Ten Tu-154s and six Il-86s will acquire new seats and cabin equipment to bring them in line with international first- and business-class standards, Alexander Klimov, Vnukovo's first deputy director, said last week at a news conference. He said existing business-class cabins on most Russian aircraft can only meet the "enhanced economy-class" standards of international carriers.

"Each time when I travel to Russia, I feel deprived of VIP services, which are available only on charter flights," said Henrik Konarkowski, manager of the Five Star program. "It is very difficult to satisfy the Russian passenger, who will always compare domestic services with services available on Western airlines."

The company said it will invest about $6 million over the next three years in the refurbishing of aircraft and representative offices, buying limousines for VIP airport transportation and training its service personnel. Economy-class cabins will be renovated, too, but the emphasis will be on the business and first classes, which will also acquire audio and visual equipment.

The first four refurbished Tu-154s are expected to take off in December. The main destinations will be Novosibirsk, Krasnoyarsk, Makhachkala, Sochi and Mineralniye Vody.

Vnukovo Airlines expects to get about 700 VIP customers a week as soon as the program is completed while still retaining its existing economy-class customer base, Klimov said. He did not reveal what the fares of the planned VIP services would be, but he did say that they will be "expensive."

The Five Star program will also include mobile phone rental, unlimited access to food and drinks on board and ordering tickets via the Internet.

Nine foreign companies, including U.S.-based Airshow and United Interiors International, as well as German Metzeler Schaum GmbH, will take part in the project as suppliers, consultants or design developers, Konarkowski said. "We have carefully examined domestic manufacturers, but 90 percent of what we need is simply not available in the Russian market, since it has not yet turned to the needs of VIP passengers," Klimov said.

He added that the equipment and seats will be installed by a Russian company, Aircraft Repair Plant 411, in the Caucasus region city of Mineralnye Vody.

He said the introduction of the Five Star program was made possible due to the company's improving financial performance in recent months following a period of instability. Vnukovo Airlines is a private company in which the state has the controlling share. The company has 53 domestically made aircraft, of which 23 are in use.

Klimov said that there are no immediate plans to purchase new airplanes. "Our aircraft will still fly for 17-20 years," he said.