Paul Duffy/KIEV
The Kharkov Aviation Factory in Ukraine has delivered the first two Antonov An-140 kits to Iran. The first regional turboprop for Iran is now under assembly at the Isfahan factory with support from Antonov specialists. Tehran has an agreement to assemble 80 An-140s in a factory originally built to assemble Bell 21A helicopters.
The first An-140 was handed over to Ikar Airlines earlier this year, and then returned to the factory for some post-certification modification. It is expected to enter service in October.
Aerosvit, a Ukrainian airline operating a fleet of Boeing 737-200s and -300s, has reached agreement with Antonov to lease "up to five" An-140s in order to expand feeder services to its 737 fleet. The aircraft will be crewed by pilots from Antonov Airlines, and technical support will come from the aircraft's designer.
The Ukrainian design team and Aerosvit have agreed an hourly rate to cover the entire package. Antonov says that the arrangement will allow them to monitor closely the aircraft in operation. Russian airline Volga Dnepr has also expressed interest in a freighter version of the 50-seat An-140.
Source: Flight International
