Tu-204 gets Aerospace Agency support according to Aviastar

Published: 2/10/2000

According to Ulyanovsk producer, Aviastar, Yuri Koptev, General Director of the Aerospace Agency, considers the Tu-204 programme to be an area of focus for the agency in 2000, with particular regard to providing the programme with a leasing structure. The plant currently has orders for 20 aircraft on its books, including passenger aircraft for Vnukovo, Aeroflot and Stavropol based Kavminvodyavia. It also has an order for 2 cargo Tu-204s, the first of which will be delivered in mid-February to UK cargo carrier, AirRep, followed by the second in early May. The Air Rep contract, particularly, is an interesting example of the deals being done by the plant to sell its aircraft, with the active involvement of the plant and a number of other Russian entities in the operation and maintenance of the aircraft internationally as joint venture partners. Local reports have suggested that Egyptian carrier, Air Cairo, has ordered a further seven Tu-204-120s with Rolls Royce engines, for delivery this year. Sirocco International Aerospace, the vehicle for marketing the Rolls Royce powered aircraft, are however more circumspect reporting that there are three aircraft currently operating from Egypt to the Ukraine and Moscow and they expect further orders for two aircraft in the early summer from an undisclosed customer , but Tom Smith the new appointed CEO of Sirocco was not aware of any other orders although he did say that there was considerable interest in the aircraft. For the plant, the additional work has meant both the re-employment of 200 workers laid off two years ago, when 2300 people were put on furlough and also a marked improvement in capacity utilisation, moving from 15% to 30% over the last couple of months, as a result of the Tu-204 orders and the completion of the an An-124-100 for local carrier, Volga Dnepr. For the industry as a whole, according to the Aerospace Agency, output grew by 30% in 1999, with over 60% of the growth coming from fulfilling export orders.

Article ID: 1406