Russian carrier UTAir is set to invite international tenders for the supply of regional aircraft to replace its fleet of Tupolev Tu-134s.
The Khanty-Mansiysk-based airline plans to retire 30 of the ageing twinjets in the next few years and will issue requests for proposals by domestic and foreign manufacturers in June.
"For purely financial reasons, we'd like to choose one of the three domestic models," says UTAir deputy director for strategic planning Andrei Pototski, alluding to the Sukhoi Superjet 100, Antonov An-148 and Tupolev Tu-334. These would allow the carrier to avoid customs payments.
UTAir operates seven leased ATR 42 turboprops and intends to acquire 15-20 of them to replace its uneconomical Antonov An-24s.
Source: Flight International
