Atlant-Soyuz and Ilyushin Finance Co sign contract for aircraft delivery
ZHUKOVSKY. Aug 20 (Interfax) - Atlant-Soyuz and Ilyushin Finance Co leasing company signed a binding contract for the delivery of 45 aircraft during the MAKS-2009 airshow, an Interfax correspondent present at the signing ceremony report.
It was earlier reported that the necessary framework agreement regarding this deal (worth $1.2 billion) had been signed in mid-July during the Le Bourget airshow.
The delivery would include 30 AN-148 aircraft and 15 Tu-204s.
The supply of An-148 aircraft will commence in 2010 and continue until the end of 2012. The contract foresees the delivery of an expanded version of the aircraft, as well as planes for business transport.
The first Tu-204 will be put into operation in 2011.
The aircraft are being acquired through financial leasing over 10 years.
An order for 30 An-148s could be placed with OJSC Voronezh joint-stock aircraft-construction company (VASO) . Two aircraft would be supplied in 2010. Starting in 2011, the plant will produce ten aircraft a year until the entire order is met.
Ilyushin Finance Co is a subsidiary of United Aircraft Corporation (UAC). The company finances the delivery of practically all Russian aircraft produced by UAC. In addition to Russian companies, the leading purchasers of UAC aircraft are Cuba, Venezuela and Iran.
Atlant-Soyuz was founded in 1993 and is the official carrier for the Moscow government. The company's fleet consists of Tu-154Ms, IL-86s, Boeing-737-300s, Boeing-737-800 and Embraer-120 aircraft. The company's base airport is Vnukovo.
VASO is also controlled by UAC. The corporation owns 57.07% in the enterprise through OJSC UAC Transport Aircraft and OJSC IL .
The An-148 is a short-haul passenger plane able to carry between 70 and 90 passengers. The aircraft's range comes to 5,000 kilometers at a cruising speed of 820-870 kilometers per hour.
Tu-204 is OJSC Tupolev's mid-haul aircraft, which is able to carry 210 passengers. The Tu-204's range comes to 4,300 kilometers. Making its debut flight in 1989, batch production of the Tu-204 now takes place at the Aviastar joint venture in Ulyanovsk.