Russia's Perm Airlines and lessor Avialeasing are planning to establish a civil aircraft maintenance centre to support Sukhoi Superjet 100 aircraft.

The centre will be sited at Perm's Bolshoye Savino Airport, under an agreement reached with the Perm regional government.

Avialeasing is backing the development following its decision last year to acquire 24 Superjet aircraft.

Bolshoye Savino Airport's operator states that the centre will comprise a complex designed to perform regular maintenance and certain types of repair.

The engineering zone of the airport has previously handled such aircraft as the Tupolev Tu-134, Antonov An-24 and An-26, and Yakovlev Yak-40.

Provision of support for the Superjet, says the operator, is viewed as potentially important to carriers such as UTAir which is tipped as a likely operator of the Avialeasing aircraft.

Source: Air Transport Intelligence news