MOSCOW. July 30 (Interfax-AVN) - The Altant-Soyuz Airlines will be among the first buyers of the TU-334 short-range passenger plane, Distinguished Test Pilot Valery Menitsky, a high- ranking official of the company and aide to the Moscow mayor, said on Wednesday.
"The Altant-Soyuz Airlines, whose 51 percent of shares are held by the Moscow city government, is planning to procure four new TU-334 short-range passenger planes," Menitsky told Interfax- Military News Agency.
The plane's price and conditions of its production and sale are attractive, he went on. "The price-quality ratio meets our demands and international standards. The cost of the new TU-334 amounting to USD12.9m allows the airliner to compete with Western analogs," he said.
"We instructed the MIG aircraft corporation and other participants in the TU-334 project to set the price that will be acceptable for airlines, because nobody wants to fly these planes at a loss. We fixed the price, and if it is preserved, we will sign the contract," Menitsky noted.
According to experts, the contract may be signed at the MAKS international aerospace show in Zhukovsky outside Moscow in August this year.
"Both EU nations and other countries that are our partners in international aerial transportation are setting tougher requirements on the aircraft's environment-friendliness and noise level, and TU-134 Crusty and TU-154 Careless planes no longer meet them. The TU-334 will be in much higher demand, just like other aircraft corresponding to international standards," Menitsky said.
Sufficient servicing support of any aircraft is important for an airline, he went on. "The logistics algorithm of MIG's servicing support has been tested in practice on MIG-29 Fulcrum warplanes. We see that the MIG company's technologies can be trusted and that the company is tested," Menitsky said.
The TU-334 short-range airliner is intended for airlifting 102 passengers. The plane with a standard layout has an operation range of over 2,000 km if it flies at a cruising speed of 820kmph and with the full load of 12t, or ever over 3,000km if its load amounts to 9.9t. The plane's take-off weight is 43.6t.