Indonesian carrier Kartika Airlines has, as expected, firmed a tentative agreement to take 30 Sukhoi Superjet 100 aircraft.

The airline signed a firm order for the twin-engined type at the Farnborough Air Show.

ATI had previously reported that an Asian carrier was preparing to conclude a 30-jet deal at the show.

Kartika originally reached a heads of agreement - then centred on 15 firm and 15 optioned Superjets - at the end of 2008.

Chief executive Kim Johanes Mulia Jiauw, speaking at the show, described the aircraft as the "perfect tool to bridge the market gap on regional capacity".

"With this new, right-sized aircraft we can develop and serve more point-to-point destinations with obvious operational efficiency and unsurpassed comfort for passengers," he adds.

Kartika also signed support agreements covering the aircraft and its PowerJet SaM146 engines.

Sukhoi says the agreement adds 30 aircraft to its backlog total. The airframer did not specify an updated backlog figure but it recently stated, prior to the Kartika deal, that the backlog stood at 101 firm orders.

Source: Air Transport Intelligence news