ZHUKOVSKY, Moscow Region. Aug 21 (Interfax-AVN) - Mass production of the new AN-148 passenger jet will begin in 2005, Yuri Koptev, head of the Russian Aviation and Space Agency, said on Thursday.
Interests of the TU-334 plane will not be neglected either, Koptev told a news conference at the MAKS 2003 international air show that is underway in Zhukovsky.
The AN-148 is a priority program of the Antonov aircraft research technical corporation based in Ukraine's Kyiv. The plane is intended for 70 to 80 passengers. The airframe design is more than 70 percent ready. The demand for the aircraft will amount to 110 to 120 pieces.
Speaking about the AN-140 aircraft, Koptev said "the aircraft also has the right to live, but Russia and Ukraine should pool efforts to bring both the AN-140 and AN-148 on the markets of third-world countries."
"We (Russia and Ukraine - Interfax-AVN) should be strategic partners, but it does not mean that a partner should sacrifice himself and let the other partner take the whole market. Joint efforts should be aimed at creating a product for third markets," Koptev said.