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Russian Airliner and Helicopter Companies Announce Deals at MAKS Air Show

Posted on: Friday, 19 August 2005, 18:00 CDT

The Ilyushin Finance leasing company and Rostvertol helicopter company announced deals and contracts at the MAKS air show near Moscow on 19 August, AVN - Military News Agency reported.

Ilyushin Finance has signed contracts to build and supply 56 aircraft worth a total of 1.6bn dollars, the company's press office said. These include 18 An-148 airliners, made in Voronezh, for the Pulkovo air company. A further 20 An-148s, five of them freighters, have been ordered by the Polet air company, and the airlines Vladivostok Avia and Kavminvodavia will take an unspecified number of Tu-204s. These are all 15-year leasing deals, the agency reported.

In another contract the Volga-Dnepr company has committed itself to eight Il-96-400T freight aircraft, to be built and supplied by 2010.

Ilyushin Finance has also been in talks with Rolls Royce about engines for the An-148 and is planning to open a network of servicing centres for Russian short- and mid-range aircraft abroad.

The leasing deals "allow us to view the future of the Russian aircraft-building industry with some optimism", the Ilyushin Finance press office said.

Rostvertol announced an order from the Russian Air Force for 10 Mi-2 trainer helicopters, to be delivered in 2006. According to general director Boris Slyusar, the company has already refurbished 22 Mi-2s for the air force, and has also developed an upgraded version, the Mi-2A. "This is a radically new helicopter," Slyusar was quoted as saying. "We held the launch in Indonesia, which could buy at least 12 for its navy."

Sources: Interfax-AVN military news agency web site, Moscow, in Russian 0546 and 0725 gmt 19 Aug 05

Source: BBC Monitoring Former Soviet Union

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