Aviastar Co. to make 127 planes within 10 years

The Aviastar aircraft manufacturers, based in Ulyanovsk on the Volga, has a development programme to produce 127 aircraft within the next ten years, announced Sergei Kiriyenko, presidential envoy plenipotentiary to the Volga federal district, and Aviastar Directors' Board chairman.

The programme envisages an enhanced output of TU 204 liners. The Aviastar intends to overtake manufacturing contracts for new-generation TU 334s from a company based in the Moscow environs. It assumes Ruslan maintenance, and will determine whether it is worthwhile to resume production of those jumbo jets.

The Aviastar, Europe's largest aircraft works, has many excessive production facilities, and is pondering over prospects to launch manufacture of non-aviation commodities. Such prospects are only tentative, and no practical estimations have been made for now.

Mr. Kiriyenko does not think an acting contract with the Egyptian-based Sirocco Aerospace is enough to get the Aviastar working at full load. The directors think it will be worthwhile to cede a part of its government stock to corporate trustees who would guarantee steady orders for five aircraft a year.