MOSCOW. March 25 (Interfax) - Russia and Indonesia are negotiating the delivery of Irkut MC-21 passenger jetliners, Russian Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov told Interfax in an interview.
"Countries of the Asia Pacific region, among them Indonesia, are a key market for the promotion of Russia's new passenger aircraft. SSJ-100 planes are already being operated here. Talks on the delivery of MC-21 planes are underway," Manturov said.
Certification of the MC-21-300 plane is the current priority. Once the plane is certified, it can be purchased by Russian airlines, which will be its first operators, he said.
"Certification consistent with Russian and European norms, as well as its being put into operation, will step up the plane's promotion in Southeast Asia and other regions," Manturov said.
Russian civilian aircraft, among them MC-21, "are absolutely competitive on the Asia Pacific market and have a sizable potential," Manturov said.
Russia will put its focus on the Beriev Be-200 and Be-103 planes at the LIMA 2019 exhibition, which opens in Malaysia on Tuesday, as "these are amphibious planes invaluable for insular countries because of their ability to take off from and land on water," he said.
The Asia Pacific market is rapidly gaining momentum. According to various estimates, the average growth of passenger traffic in Asia will exceed that of the world as a whole by 1-2%, Manturov said.
"In coming years, that will make the Asia Pacific region one of the world's most important in terms of demand for new planes," he said.