Sukhoi’s Superjet100 to star at the Paris Air Show
07 Apr 2009
Moscow: Russia's new Superjet 100 airliner is slated to be one of the top draws at the Le Bourget 2009 airshow, more commonly referred to as the Paris Air Show, when it makes its debut appearance there, a top official of the major international air show said Tuesday.
The 48th Paris Air Show at Le Bourget, scheduled for 15-21 June this year, will mark 100 years of technological innovation in aeronautics and space.
As for the Sukhoi Superjet 100, the show will provide the first chance for most aviation enthusiasts to get a look at the new plane.
"The Russian Sukhoi Superjet 100 airplane will be a genuine star at our anniversary air show, primarily because it serves as a perfect example of cooperation between Russia and European countries," Gilles Fournier, Le Bourget's managing director, told reporters in Moscow.
The Superjet 100 project is a medium-haul passenger aircraft developed by Russia's Sukhoi Civil Aircraft company, as part of a consortium, with US and European aviation corporations, including Boeing and Snecma, Thales, Messier Dowty, Liebherr Aerospace and Honeywell.
The first Superjet 100 aircraft has already made one long-distance and 40 short-distance test flights, in all clocking over 100 flight hours. A total of four aircraft will take part in the certification programme, which is expected to be complete in the third quarter of 2009.
Sukhoi, part of the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), plans to manufacture at least 700 of these aircraft. The company has said it has about 100 confirmed orders for the airliner and anticipates signing a number of new orders during the Le Bourget and MAKS air shows this year.
Sukhoi is expected to make the first delivery to Russia's flag carrier Aeroflot in December.
