Article Posted on : - May 11, 2009

Sukhoi Superjet 100 airplane on display. A File Photo

KOMSOMOLSK-ON-AMUR (BNS): Armenia's national airline Armavia will be the first to get Sukhoi Superjet 100 passenger airplane, the Russian aircraft maker announced on Monday.

"Armavia would be the first recipient of a Superjet 100 because it had ordered a plane with a basic configuration" Ria Novosti quoted Sukhoi Civil Aircraft's public relations director Olga Kayukova as saying.

"The airliner was in the final stages of assembly and would be delivered soon," she said.

Kayukova said the list price of a Superjet 100 was $28 million, but each aircraft was individually priced depending on the configuration.

Sukhoi's director General Mikhail Pogosyan admitted that financing the construction of the planes was a problem.

"We cannot resolve this without government support, during the financial crisis airlines do not possess the necessary financial stability to invest in the production of aircraft," he said to media.

The Sukhoi Superjet 100 is a modern, fly-by-wire regional jet in the 100-seat category. The Superjet 100 will be produced by Russian aerospace firm Sukhoi's civil division.