MEXICO CITY, September 27 (Itar-Tass) - The first two Sukhoi SuperJet-100 (SSJ-100) planes purchased by the Mexican airline Interjet have completed the required certification procedures and started regular passenger service.
Prior to operation, the planes underwent a 100-hour airworthiness test required by law, with no complaints from Interjet.
Under the agreement signed earlier, the Mexican airline, one of the biggest in the country, will receive 20 SSJ-100s before the end of 2014. The airline also has an option for ten more such planes.
The first SSJ-100 arrived in Mexico on July 22, 2013. Interjet is the first Latin American company to have bought these Russian-Italian planes.
Sukhoi SuperJet-100 is a regional 100-seat plane designed and made by Sukhoi Civil Aircraft in cooperation with Alenia Aermacchi. Its basic version can fly for a distance of up to 3,048 kilometers. An increased range is 4,578 kilometers. The company plans to start making a long-range version of the plane from 2013 and to offer a business version of the plane in 2015. It may be of interest to Middle East countries.
The SuperJet, the first new Russian passenger plane over the past 20 years, is being created through unprecedentedly broad international cooperation that involves more than 30 major international aerospace companies, system and component suppliers. Sukhoi SuperJet-100 integrates the world’s best industry practices and solutions.
Sukhoi SuperJet-100 integrates the world’s best industry practices and solutions. All aircraft will be certified in accordance with both Russian and international requirements. SSJ100's technical and operational performance make the product fully marketable and capable of taking a solid share in the highly competitive global market. Thus, Sukhoi expects to sell 800 aircraft until the year 2024, while the global demand for the aircraft of this class totals 5,400. So far the company had secured 73 solid orders for the aircraft.
SuperJet-100 will in the future provide the basis for a whole family of planes, including transport and special purpose planes. However, now the main goal is the certification of the plane and serial production of 60-70 planes annually.
The Sukhoi SuperJet-100 family consists of two types of aircraft of basic and increased flying ranges with the carrying capacity of 75 and 95 passengers respectively.
The SuperJet-100 aircraft got in the focus of public attention after one of the planes had crashed in Indonesia in May 2012, killing 45 people, including eight Russians. The accident was blamed on the pilot’s error.
Sukhoi Civil Aircraft intends to supply 30 SSJ-100 planes in 2013, including 12 to Sky Aviation (Indonesia), 3 to Lao Central (Laos), to Interjet (Mexico) and to Yakutia (Russia). About 20 planes were delivered in 2012, including to Aeroflot.