Farnborough: New Russian Jet Garners Orders Despite Crash

Sukhoi Superjet 100

Sukhoi expects to finalize orders for as many as 40 of its Superjet 100 passenger aircraft from Asian airlines before the end of this year, proof, the head of Sukhoi’s parent company said Monday, that the fatal crash of a demonstration plane two months ago had done little to deter customers or partners.

The forthcoming orders are from three Southeast Asian carriers, which Mr. Pogosyan would not identify. Last month Sukhoi received a firm order for six Superjet 100s, with a list price of more than $212 million, from TransAero, Russia’s second-largest airline after Aeroflot. Sukhoi says it has orders and commitments for more than 200 of the planes. 

A Superjet 100 crashed into a mountainside during a promotional flight in Indonesia on May 9, killing all 45 people on board. The fate of the jetliner — the first new model to be produced in Russia since the end of the Soviet Union — was a crushing blow to a national aerospace industry eager for revival.

The Indonesian authorities are expected to publish their findings later this year. Preliminary analysis of the plane’s flight data recorders and cockpit voice recorders have not revealed any major technical fault with the aircraft, Mr. Pogosyan said.

 New Russian Jet Garners Orders Despite Crash - NYTimes.com