Libyan-backed consortium plans Austrian production of MiG-100A

Published: 6/29/1999

Mig 110 to land in Vienna? The newest entrant to the crowded regional commuter aircraft business could be a tripartite Austrian-Libyan-Russian venture. According to the UK `Sunday Telegraph", negotiations are well advanced, following a visit to Vienna by Ms Valentina Matviyenko, Russia"s Deputy Prime Minister, in late June 1999. The aircraft in question is a variant of the MiG-110 twin turbo prop, twin boom high-wing, first shown in model form at the 1993 Moscow Air Show, and to be known as the MiG-110A. Apparently, the plan is for Libya to invest an initial $27.2m to build two prototypes – one for the Russian market and the other for Africa and Asia. If all goes well, Libya will then pay a further $20m to complete the final production stage at the Sokol plant at Nizny Novgorod. The plan also calls for the construction of a $72m production plant on the southern outskirts of Vienna. In a bizarre twist to an already improbable story, it has been mooted that the head of the Austrian plant will be Colonel Gaddafi"s second son, Saif al Islam Gaddafi, who is studying for an MBA at the Vienna-based International Management Consultancy School, IMADEC.

Article ID: 637