Aircraft

Italian manufacturer Finmeccanica will decide next month whether to take a quarter stake in Sukhoi’s Russian Regional Jet (RRJ) programme through its airframe division Alenia Aeronautica. 

Finmeccanica chief operating officer Giorgio Zappa told a conference in Rome today that the Italian manufacturer would decide in February whether to go ahead with the investment, thought to be in the region of $250 million. “we’re completing our evaluation of the dossier and doing further research into the market,” he said.

Finmeccanica initially said it would present its plan to acquire a 25% stake in Sukhoi Civil Aircraft (SCAC), the maximum permitted by a foreign investor under Russian law, to its shareholders for approval by the end of November.

Alenia Aeronautica is expected to provide marketing and maintenance help as well as design, development and manufacturing consulting if it does take a stake in the aircraft programme.

Sukhoi forecasts a market of more than 700 RRJ aircraft worldwide over the next 20 years.