ZHUKOVSKY, August 16 (Itar-Tass) —— The United Aircraft-building Corporation (UAC) plans to conclude contracts for the supply of Superjet-100 liners on the sidelines of the MAKS air show, UAC president, Mikhail Pogosian, told a news conference on Tuesday.
About the expected agreements Pogosian said that he was referring to contracts for Sukhoi Superjet-100 and MS-21, about 100 all in all, he said.
It is expected that Aeroflot will order 50 MS-21 planes, he said.
MS-21 is a promising medium-haul liner developed by the United Aircraft-building Corporation. It is scheduled to make the maiden flight in 2014. Serial supplies are due in 2016. In 2010, the corporation Irkut at the air show in Farnborough signed a firm contract for 50 MS-21 planes with the Malaysian investment company Crecom Burj Resources Ltd. The UAC expects that this aircraft in the future can take up to 10 percent of the aviation market.
The first batch-produced Superjet 100 was handed over to the first customer, Armavia, on April and a second to Aeroflot on June 9. During the first month of operation at Armavia the plane spent more than 168 hours in flight and carried more than 2,885 passengers at a total distance of about 85,800 kilometers. On the basis of the short-haul aircraft the company plans to develop a business version of the Superjet.