State to discuss potential Sukhoi order in October
The Serbian government will discuss the potential acquisition of eight Sukhoi Superjet 100 aircraft for Air Serbia at the Serbian - Russian economic forum in October, which will be attended by over a hundred Russian companies. The Serbian Minister without a portfolio in charge for innovations and technology, Nenad Popović, said “numerous agreements” will be signed at the event. In June, a delegation from Serbia attended the International Economic Forum in St Petersburg, where negotiations resumed over the acquisition of the Superjet 100 aircraft, as well as the Irkut MS-21 jet. Air Serbia has shown little interest in the aircraft, which is why talks have been elevated to an inter-governmental level.
Sukhoi first approached and pitched the SSJ100 to the Serbian carrier in late 2015. In 2017, the plane manufacturer reiterated it was negotiating with Air Serbia over a potential aircraft order. In December 2019, the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, said his country’s aviation sector was prepared to assist in the renewal of Air Serbia’s fleet. However, meetings stalled afterwards, primarily as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. “Supplying Russian-made aircraft to Serbia is being discussed in various formats. In particular, Sukhoi is working with the Serbian national carrier Air Serbia to upgrade the airline's fleet by purchasing the Superjet 100 aircraft. As for the MC-21, this type may be of interest to Air Serbia in the future”, Russian officials have said.
The Sukhoi Superjet has the capacity to seat between 87 and 108 passengers, depending on cabin layout and seat configuration. The Russian manufacturer is planning a new generation of the regional jet with extended capacity, new wings and new engines, which is expected to appear after 2025. Air Serbia itself has not commented on the Russian government’s comments over its interest in acquiring the aircraft. The Serbian carrier added two Airbus A319 jets to its fleet last year but returned one A320 and one ATR72 to the lessor. It also shelved plans to lease additional ATR72s last year with the onset of the coronavirus pandemic and retired three Boeing 737s from its fleet.
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