Aircraft

Ukraine’s ANTK Antonov signed a deal on 25 November with the VASO plant in Voronezh, Russia, granting licence-production rights for assembly of the Antonov An-148-100 regional airliner.

Assembly of the An-148 at Voronezh will begin in 2006. Assembly of the aircraft, which is undergoing certification trials, will also take place in parallel at Ukraine’s Aviant plant in Kiev.

Details of the signing were revealed by the general director of Ilyushin-Finance, Alexander Rubtsov, in the Russian newspaper Vremya Novostei.

The licence agreement gives VASO the right to use ANTK technical documentation for An-148 assembly, in exchange for royalty payments. VASO will also get the right to make changes in type-construction with ANTK approval. ANTK will open a representative office in the VASO plant to maintain supervision and support.

The agreement will not limit export sales or the number of aircraft produced, Rubtsov says. The two plants will have a common sales centre and will co-ordinate sales policy, he says.

VASO hopes to build around 250 An-148s in the next decade. Orders stand at over 50 aircraft with customers including Krasair (16), Polet (20) and Pulkovo (8 plus options on 10 more).

HIWARD GETHIN/MOSCOW