MEXICO CITY, June 23. /ITAR-TASS/. Mexico’s Interjet air carrier has put its eighth Russian-made Sukhoi SuperJet-100 passenger plane into service and hopes this will enable it to improve air service and increase the number of flights in the country.

“Sukhoi SuperJet-100 is an optimal plane for sub-regional flights and gives better comfort to passengers than other liners of the same class,” Interjet Director-General Jose Luis Garza said in a statement transmitted to ITAR-TASS.

He said the plane consumed less fuel and required lower maintenance costs.

The SuperJet-100 has recently received an official approval for flying to the United States.

Under the contract with Russia, the Mexican airline will receive 20 Sukhoi SuperJet-100 planes and also holds an option for another ten.

The first SuperJet-100 plane arrived in Mexico in the middle of last year. Interjet was the first Latin American air carrier to buy this plane made by Russia jointly with Italy.

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.

Sukhoi hopes to sell 800 planes until the year 2024, while the global demand for the aircraft of this class totals 5,400.

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 makes 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.