First Tu-204-300, meeting international standards, delivered to Russian airline

The first plane of a new airliner series that meets international noise and emission standards was delivered to a Russian airline on Friday, the news agency ITAR-Tass reported.

The Tupolev 204-300 has a range of 9,000 kilometers (5,500 miles) and conforms with international noise and emissions standards. Russian airlines that fly to destinations in the West have been forced to use non-Russian planes because previous locally made aircraft did not meet those regulations.

The first plane in the series was purchased by the Vladivostokavia airline, which took delivery of the plane at Moscow's Vnukovo Airport, ITAR-Tass said. The airline plans to use it on its route between Moscow and Vladivostok, on the Pacific coast.

The plane has a capacity of up to 162 passengers and features amenities including seatback flat-screen video monitors.

Orders have been received for about 60 of the planes, the agency quoted Tupolev president Igor Shevchuk as saying.