"Array Of Difficulties" Has Postponed First Flight

The first new Russian airliner in nearly 20 years will deliver a little later than planned, according to a top official with the program.

The first Superjets were to be delivered to Aeroflot at the end of this year. However, Alexei Fyodorov, director of United Aircraft Corp., told The Associated Press the first flight of the upcoming Sukhoi SuperJet 100 has been delayed... sending a ripple effect throughout the rest of the program.

"We had plans to conduct the first flight at the end of last year, but ran into an array of difficulties," Fyodorov said, according to the state-run news agency RIA-Novosti. "We can't say when they will be delivered to Aeroflot."

United Aircraft Building Corporation was incorporated in 2006, tasked with producing the upcoming 95-seat airliner. The SuperJet will be the first new commercial aircraft produced in Russia, since the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union.

In addition to servicing the growing Russian regional airline market, the SuperJet 100 is also intended to be the first Russian aircraft able to compete with Western offerings from Embraer and Bombardier. In August 2007, Sukhoi signed an agreement with Italy's Alenia to handle Western European marketing and maintenance efforts.

To date, United Aircraft has received 73 firm orders for the plane, according to RIA Novosti, including a 10-plane deal from Italy's ItAli.

FMI: www.sukhoi.org/eng/planes/projects/rrj/