Paves The Way For Export Of Superjet To Indonesia Without Restrictions

The Civil Aviation Authority of Indonesia has certified Russia's new SSJ-100 Superjet, clearing the way for export of the airplane without restrictions to the Southeast Asian country.

Sukhoi First Vice President Igor Vinogradov told the Russian news service RIA Novosti "we are now completely ready to supply the aircraft to our first client in Southeast Asia, Indonesian carrier Sky Aviation."

The airline has ordered 12 of the Superjets, with the first to be delivered by the end of the year.

The airplane first flew in May, 2008, and the first customer took delivery of an SSJ-100 in 2011. The airplane was involved in an accident in May of this year, when a Superjet with 45 people on board impacted terrain in a mountainous region of Indonesia during a demonstration flight. No one on board the airplane survived.

While the airplane was developed by Sukhoi, the company received assistance through cooperation agreements with Boeing, Snecma, Thales, and others.  RIA Novosti reports that the only Russian components of the airplane are construction materials, some elements of the fuselage, and some auxiliary equipment. The rest of the airplane is not made in Russia. It received a type certificate from EASA in February, but has not yet been certified by the FAA.

(SSJ-100 image from file)

FMI: www.sukhoi.org/eng