Air holding Sukhoi to participate in 2004-Farnboro Air Show

The Sukhoi air holding plans to present a model of a medium range airplane cabin, worked out by the company, at the 2004-Farnboro Air Show (Great Britain), Sukhoi General Director Mikhail Pogosyan disclosed on Wednesday.

According to him, the development of the family of the medium range passenger airplanes RRJ is currently the largest Sukhoi's civil project. "Its development is impossible without the broad cooperation with foreign companies," Mr. Pogosyan noted.

"Almost all Russian air companies, including Aeroflot, Sibir and Pulkovo, are interested in our project," Mr. Pogosyan said.

Although the first obvious consumers of the RRJ airplanes are the Russian air companies, Sukhoi hopes for the future contracts with foreign companies as well. "Since the early stages of the RRJ construction the company introduces technical solution, which would enable it to compete evenly at the world market," he added.

The family of the RRJ airplanes consists of the six versions with various passenger capacity and flight-distance length. All RRJ versions have the same shape of wings, equipped with the same engines and are unified to a maximum extension in their gliding performance and on-board equipment.

According to Sukhoi company's estimations, the perspective sales volume of the RRJ airplanes will reach the figure of over $12 bln. The total forecasted demand on the airplanes would amount to approximately 800 units in the 20-years run. The pre-planned cost of the RRJ airplanes will be 10-15% less in comparison with foreign analogues.

The 2004-Farnsboro Air Show will be open on July 19-25, 2004.