The extended range Tupolev Tu-214 is set to receive its type certification from the ARMAK (Aviation Register of the MAK- the Interstate Aviation Committee) by 25 December.
The aircraft - a higher gross weight version of the Tu-204 (also known as the Tu-204-200) - is produced by the Kazan aircraft production plant (KAPAO), in the capital of the autonomous Republic of Tatarstan. Equipped with Aviadvigatel PS-90 engines, the aircraft's maximum take-off weight rises by 6.5t to 110t, compared to the standard Tu-204-100 built by Aviastar in Ulyanovsk. With a similar payload, this increases the twinjet's range by 1,300km (700nm).
The Tatarstan Government has offered to assist in funding the lease or sale of Tu-214s to CIS airlines, and this is a factor which, along with the factory's reputation as one of the best in the former Soviet Union, should give it an advantage in achieving sales.
Seven are near completion. Early customers may include Russia's state airline Rossiya and Transaero, the latter having agreements with both production factories for10 Tu-204/214s. Khabarovsk-based Dalavuia has an agreement for two.
Source: Flight International
