MOSCOW. March 19 (Interfax-AVN) - The resumption of mass-production of An-124 Ruslan heavy transport aircraft at the Ulyanovsk-based Aviastar-SP company will require serious investments which will result in an increase in the price of aircraft.
"The price of the production An-124-100M-150 is hard to predict now. It may happen that is will reach about $150 million," Volga-Dnepr Group's President Alexei Isaikin told Interfax-AVN, noting that the aircraft being finalized at the plant now will cost about $100 million.
"The technical specifications of the aircraft's new modification have been formed now, and it'll be much superior to its current version. The production will become profitable as soon as 33 aircraft are sold," he added.
According to Isaikin, Volga-Dnepr operates 10 An-124-100 aircraft, but added that not only civilian air carriers but also the Russian Air Force will be among the customers in future.
"NATO countries are willingly using our An-124-100s for airlift purposes, and believe that it is really cost-effective, as there is no alternative for such a giant aircraft in the foreseeable future," he said.