According to Aviakor the An-140 due to be certified early in 2000 has orders for 280 aircraft

Published: 9/3/1999

According to a report from Reuters, Valentina Lyakisheva, a spokeswoman for Aviakor has confirmed that the first short range Antonov An-140 transport planes, built at the Samara-based plant, will receive airworthiness certification in early 2000. Ms Lyakisheva added that the Ukrainian designed aircraft had already completed 700 test flights, including several along the Arctic coast and Uzbekistan, and that test flights were scheduled to continue throughout September. She further confirmed that the cost of the aircraft would be $6-$8m, and that Aviakor estimated worldwide demand to be around 1,000 aircraft. This exceeds its earlier estimate of 500-600 planes, including 300 for its domestic market. According to Ms Lyakisheva, 280 orders had already been places for the 52-seater plane, which will be assembled in Samara, Kharkov and Iran. A spokeswoman for Aeroflot confirmed that, in July 1999, the company had signed a preliminary agreement to buy 50 An-140s although there continues to be uncertainty about this particular order with contradictory reports within Aeroflot, as the purchase is predicated on Aeroflot's regional plans. The An-140 has been designed to replace ageing An-24s belonging to the airlines of the former Soviet Union. Production at Aviakor is being partly financed by metal producer, Siberian Aluminium, the plant's owners.

Article ID: 827