Czech aircraft manufacturer Evektor is closer to a joint venture deal with Russia's Ulyanovsk Region for production of its EV-55 Outback twin-engined turboprop, after the city's mayor held talks with the firm and the Czech energy minister on 21 September.
"I also held talks with a Czech export bank about participating in finance for this project," Ulyanovsk mayor Alexander Pinkov says.
"This subject will be included in the protocol of an intergovernmental commission between Russia and the Czech Republic due to take place in Moscow on 18 October," says Pinkov.
"We've agreed that before this session, we'll hold a round table with Russian airlines about this aircraft. We are at the stage of procedural questions about forming a joint venture," Pinkov adds.
 |
|---|
© Evektor |
The two sides plan to form a €107 million ($150 million) venture in which Ulyanovsk will hold 30%, Evektor 51% and other investors the remaining 19%.
Evektor will spend €65 million on production and development of a first airframe in Russia. Ulyanovsk's stake will consist of "the ground, engineering infrastructure, building and equipment", in Ulyanovsk, Pinkov says.
The EV-55 was rolled out in March and is being prepared for its first flight later this year.
Russian-produced aircraft will be marketed in Russia and the CIS, and Czech-made aircraft will be sold in Europe and the USA.
The two sides held initial talks in August on production of the EV-55 for regional Russian airlines, where the aircraft is likely to be a successor to hundreds of Antonov An-2s and An-28s which are increasingly in need of replacement.
The EV-55 is a high-wing, twin-engined turboprop, with a capacity of nine to 14 passengers or up to 1,825kg (4017lb) of cargo. The aircraft can use short, unpaved airstrips and high-altitude sites.
Source: Flight International
