MOSCOW. Dec 18 (Interfax-AVN) - The AN-38-100 plane designed jointly by Russia and Ukraine has attracted interest of Asian customers, a competent source in the Russian Aviation and Space Agency told Interfax-Military News Agency on Tuesday.
Negotiations on the plane's export to India are underway, the source said. In accordance with an intergovernmental agreement India is studying expediency of the plane's purchase from Russia. The Indian aviation authorities are expected to consider licensed production of the AN-38 at domestic enterprises, the source added.
Vietnam has expressed interest in the plane, too. A Vietnamese delegation has recently visited the Novosibirsk Aircraft Production Association (NAPO) that handles mass production of the AN-38-100. The parties are negotiating on the lease of one plane with the crew to Vietnam so that the country could test it in operation.
The Russia-based Vostok Airlines leased two out of three AN- 38-100 planes with crews to a Malaysian company. The planes have demonstrated excellent results, and Malaysia has made an early decision on their certification.