An-140 has buyers according to Antonov, but are they same buyers as a year ago

Published: 2/25/2000

According to a recent interview by Antonov with Itar-Tass, airlines in Russia are eager to buy the An-140, which has recently completed its cold- weather trials in Yakutia. This follows presentations to prospective buyers in a number of Russia's northern and Siberian cities including Mirny, Krasnoyarsk, Novosibirsk, Surgut and Samara. The bureau's spokesman specifically mentioned Polar (Polyarnyy) Airlines, Tyumenaviatrans and Mirny based Alrosa-Avia as having interest in buying the $6-8m aircraft. Of the three, we would estimate that only the Mirny-based carrier would have the financial resources to purchase, although recent UN contracts have given Surgut-based Tyumenaviatrans more funds. These appear to have been committed to the purchase of two Mi-26s for their operations in West Africa. Polyarnyy, as with Tyumenaviatrans, has had a long-standing intention to buy the aircraft. This is however, entirely dependent on the support of the regional government of Sakha, as they admitted in October 1999, the goal of ownership being a long-term one. Since its inception, the An-140 has received considerable interest from customers, filling as it does, the segment of the market currently occupied by the ageing An-24 and An-26, the latter having over 350 in service. In September 1999, a spokesperson for the Samara-based Aviakor plant, the Russian partner in the production of the aircraft, even said that they had orders for 280 aircraft, although the largest domestic buyer Aeroflot, who signed a preliminary agreement in July 1999 for 20 aircraft, still appears to be holding out. Orders are reported to be 15 for the Sakha- Yakutia region, 10 for an undisclosed Siberian airline and the 25 aircraft for the Tyumen Oil Company. So far none of these have been confirmed. To date the only confirmed orders are from a Ukrainian airline, Ikar, largely financed by the An-140 production plant KhGAPP in Kharkov and Iranian producer IAIC, where the aircraft is to be produced as part of a licensing deal covering 120 aircraft designated the Iran-140. Antonov has, however, entered into an agreement with France's Rheims Aviation who is currently reaching the end of a marketing evaluation study of the potential for the aircraft.

Article ID: 1475