First Armavia Superjet
Armavia took delivery of the first new Sukhoi Superjet 100 regional jet after production complications caused delays of more than two years.
The plane, named Yuri Gagarin, registration EK-95015, was handed over to Armenia’s Armavia carrier at a ceremony at Zvartnots airport in Yerevan.
Russia hopes that despite the production delays the Superjet can revive the country’s civil aviation industry, which has fallen behind international competitors like Boeing and Airbus.
Russian flag carrier Aeroflot is still awaiting delivery of the first of a batch of 40 Superjets and has considered seeking compensation because of the delay.
The jet, which has 98 seats, was developed to compete with Brazil’s Embraer and Canada’s Bombardier on the regional air transportation market.
