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ARMENIAN AIRLINE RETURNS SUKHOI SUPERJET 100 DUE TO REPAIRS
MI News 26
http://www.minews26.com/content/?p=18666
Aug 6 2012
MI
POSTED August 6, 2012 BY BNO News 0 Comments
YEREVAN, ARMENIA (BNO NEWS) -- Armenian airline Armavia has decided
to return its Sukhoi Superjet 100 because the new aircraft is below
the required standards, local media reported on Monday, in what is
a major blow for the Russian aircraft manufacturer which is still
working to overcome a deadly plane crash earlier this year.
Armavia was the launch customer for the Sukhoi Superjet 100, the first
civil aircraft to be built by a Russian aircraft manufacturer since
the fall of the Soviet Union. The airline received the aircraft in
April 2011 and used it for flights from Armenia to Ukraine and to
the Russian cities of Moscow, St. Petersburg and Sochi.
An Armavia spokeswoman told the Arka and RIA Novosti news agencies on
Monday that the airline has decided to return the aircraft because it
was below the previously declared standards and also required repairs.
"We consider it inappropriate to purchase a plane which requires
repairs during its first year in service," she said.
A source with knowledge about the situation told a Russian newspaper
earlier on Monday that Armavia is a relatively small airline and cannot
afford to make experiments. Armavia President Mikhail Baghdasarov
earlier also expressed discontent over the relationship with Sukhoi
and complained spare parts for the Superjet 100 are more expensive
than similar spare parts for Western aircraft.
Armavia was also scheduled to receive a second Superjet 100 last
year, but the process was dragged out until June of this year when
the airline said it will not buy the second aircraft and instead opt
to purchase a Western aircraft. Both planes are currently at a Sukhoi
flight test facility near Moscow, where the first Armavia aircraft
was undergoing regularly scheduled maintenance.
Armavia's refusal of the medium-haul aircraft could prove to be a
major blow for Sukhoi, which delivered its tenth production aircraft
to Russian airline Aeroflot late last month. Aeroflot, which operates
all but one of the Superjet 100s currently in operation, previously
ordered a total of 30 Superjet 100 aircraft and intends to buy 10 more.
Sukhoi is still attempting to overcome a deadly crash in May, when a
Superjet 100 crashed into a cliff on Mount Salak near the Indonesian
capital of Jakarta, killing all 45 people on board. The aircraft
was participating in Sukhoi's "Welcome Asia" roadshow to promote the
Superjet 100 to airlines in a number of Asian countries.
The cause of the accident in May remains unknown, but investigators are
focusing on pilot error and technical failure as two possibilities. If
Indonesian investigators determine the cause to be the latter, demand
for the Superjet 100 could be wiped out.
Sukhoi began the certification process in Indonesia last week, and the
decision by the country's aviation authority will determine whether
the Superjet 100 will be allowed to operate in Indonesian airspace.
Indonesian airlines Sky Aviation and Kartika have already ordered
42 Superjet 100 aircraft, with the first delivery to Sky Aviation
expected later this year.
The Superjet 100 was also certified by the Aviation Authority of
Mexico in late April, allowing it to operate in the country without
limitations. Mexican airline Interjet signed a contract with Sukhoi
in January 2011 to purchase 15 Superjet 100 aircraft, and the delivery
of the first aircraft is scheduled for the end of this year.
MI News 26
http://www.minews26.com/content/?p=18666
Aug 6 2012
MI
POSTED August 6, 2012 BY BNO News 0 Comments
YEREVAN, ARMENIA (BNO NEWS) -- Armenian airline Armavia has decided
to return its Sukhoi Superjet 100 because the new aircraft is below
the required standards, local media reported on Monday, in what is
a major blow for the Russian aircraft manufacturer which is still
working to overcome a deadly plane crash earlier this year.
Armavia was the launch customer for the Sukhoi Superjet 100, the first
civil aircraft to be built by a Russian aircraft manufacturer since
the fall of the Soviet Union. The airline received the aircraft in
April 2011 and used it for flights from Armenia to Ukraine and to
the Russian cities of Moscow, St. Petersburg and Sochi.
An Armavia spokeswoman told the Arka and RIA Novosti news agencies on
Monday that the airline has decided to return the aircraft because it
was below the previously declared standards and also required repairs.
"We consider it inappropriate to purchase a plane which requires
repairs during its first year in service," she said.
A source with knowledge about the situation told a Russian newspaper
earlier on Monday that Armavia is a relatively small airline and cannot
afford to make experiments. Armavia President Mikhail Baghdasarov
earlier also expressed discontent over the relationship with Sukhoi
and complained spare parts for the Superjet 100 are more expensive
than similar spare parts for Western aircraft.
Armavia was also scheduled to receive a second Superjet 100 last
year, but the process was dragged out until June of this year when
the airline said it will not buy the second aircraft and instead opt
to purchase a Western aircraft. Both planes are currently at a Sukhoi
flight test facility near Moscow, where the first Armavia aircraft
was undergoing regularly scheduled maintenance.
Armavia's refusal of the medium-haul aircraft could prove to be a
major blow for Sukhoi, which delivered its tenth production aircraft
to Russian airline Aeroflot late last month. Aeroflot, which operates
all but one of the Superjet 100s currently in operation, previously
ordered a total of 30 Superjet 100 aircraft and intends to buy 10 more.
Sukhoi is still attempting to overcome a deadly crash in May, when a
Superjet 100 crashed into a cliff on Mount Salak near the Indonesian
capital of Jakarta, killing all 45 people on board. The aircraft
was participating in Sukhoi's "Welcome Asia" roadshow to promote the
Superjet 100 to airlines in a number of Asian countries.
The cause of the accident in May remains unknown, but investigators are
focusing on pilot error and technical failure as two possibilities. If
Indonesian investigators determine the cause to be the latter, demand
for the Superjet 100 could be wiped out.
Sukhoi began the certification process in Indonesia last week, and the
decision by the country's aviation authority will determine whether
the Superjet 100 will be allowed to operate in Indonesian airspace.
Indonesian airlines Sky Aviation and Kartika have already ordered
42 Superjet 100 aircraft, with the first delivery to Sky Aviation
expected later this year.
The Superjet 100 was also certified by the Aviation Authority of
Mexico in late April, allowing it to operate in the country without
limitations. Mexican airline Interjet signed a contract with Sukhoi
in January 2011 to purchase 15 Superjet 100 aircraft, and the delivery
of the first aircraft is scheduled for the end of this year.