JAKARTA, Indonesia. Nov 15 (Interfax-AVN) - The Sukhoi Civil Aircraft (SCA) is in pre-contract negotiations with several Southeast Asian airline companies, SCA Senior Vice President Igor Syrtsov told Interfax-AVN.
"Southern and Southeast Asian countries are most actively interested in Sukhoi Superjet 100. According to some estimates, 150-250 aircraft can be supplied here," Syrtsov said at the Indo Defence 2010 international exposition of aviation, defense and naval equipment, where the company presented its Sukhoi Superjet 100 program.
A $951-million contract for the supply of 30 Superjets to Indonesian regional air carrier Kartika Airlines was signed in Farnborough (United Kingdom) in July 2010, he recalled.
"Currently, we are at the active stage of negotiations with a Laotian airline company. I think that we will reach a contract before the end of this year. A preliminary agreement has been reached with Thailand, a contract can also be signed before the end of the year," Syrtsov said.
Vietnam, Malaysia and other countries are potential buyers of Superjet, he said.
The first serial airplane built for an Armenian airline company has recently performed a flight from Komsomolsk-on-Amur to Sakhalin, Syrtsov said. It has now flown to the Moscow region, from where it will perform regular flights under the European certification testing program, he said.
There are plans to open regional service centers for Sukhoi civil aircraft in India and Singapore, the company said at the aircraft presentation in Jakarta.