Russian flag-carrier Aeroflot has agreed to take another 20 Sukhoi Superjet 100s, under a tentative agreement with the airframer.
Aeroflot chief Vitaly Saveliev has signed a memorandum of intent with Sukhoi covering the deliveries, the airline states.
The aircraft will be supplemental to the 30 already ordered by the SkyTeam carrier, which has received 16 of the type.
This will give Aeroflot a fleet of 50 Superjets by 2017. Saveliev describes the agreement as a “breakthrough event” in Russian civil aviation.
But he acknowledges that the plans acknowledge the “challenges” facing the Russian economy.
“We are not just providing support for the Russian aircraft industry,” he says, adding that the carrier is investing in the “future of the country” and its decision will “allow Russians to fly on Russian aircraft”.
Aeroflot says the aircraft will primarily be configured with an 87-seat layout which includes 12 in the business-class cabin.
Sukhoi civil aircraft division chairman Mikhail Pogosyan says the decision to increase the fleet is a “sign of trust” and shows “evidence of the operational efficiency” of the type.
Source: Cirium Dashboard
