VORONEZH, February 11. /TASS/. The An-148 passenger plane that crashed on Sunday in the Moscow region was manufactured by the Voronezh Aircraft Production Company (VASO) in 2010, the company’s press service told TASS on Sunday, promising all possible assistance in the crash investigation.
"We were grieved to learn about the crash. This An-148 plane with an aircraft number 61704 (vehicle identification number 40-06) was manufactured by VASO in 2010 and went into service at the Rossiya airlines later that year," the press service said.
The manufacturer said in would set up a special commission to probe into the crash.
According to the specialized internet portal russianplanes.net, the plane made its first regular flight in June 2010 and set a record of flying time for An-148 planes - 400 hours and 45 minutes - in August 2011.
The Saratov Airlines company that operated the crashed plane was sent up in 1994. It perform both domestic and international flights.
Radio contact with an An-148 passenger plane of the Saratov Airlines (flight 730 from Moscow to Orsk) that took off from the Domodedovo airport at 14:21 Moscow time was lost several minutes after the takeoff. Fragments of the plane were found near the village of Stepanovskoye in Moscow region’s Ramensky district. There were 65 passengers and six members of the crew onboard the plane. According to preliminary data, no one has survived.