Lithuanian MRO provider FL Technics (a subsidiary of Avia Solutions Group) has obtained a Russian FAP 145 certificate permitting it to perform line maintenance on Russian-registered Sukhoi Superjet 100 (SSJ 100) regional jetliners.
This is FL Technics’ third certificate applying to the maintenance of this type of airliners. In August 2015, the company gained an EASA Part 145 approval, which cleared it to maintain SSJ 100s operated by foreign carriers. Also around that time, FL Technics introduced round-the-clock services addressing AOG situations. In early October 2015, the company received an EASA Part M certificate, which enables it to perform airworthiness checks on SSJ 100s.
The company expects to expand the range of its SSJ100 services, including trainimng courses for ground crews.
As Chairman of the Board Gediminas Ziemelis told earlier, FL Technics first sent its personnel to SSJ 100s maintenance courses in 2012. In early 2013, the company signed a memorandum of understanding with Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Company (SCAC) and with SuperJet International (SJI, a joint venture of Sukhoi company and Alenia Aermacchi) to become a partner in the network of SJI-authorized SSJ100 maintenance centers. By early 2014, about 20 company personnel had completed in-house training, qualifying thenm to perform SSJ 100s line and base maintenance.
Sukhoi Civil Aircraft (SCAC) is planning to produce 17 Sukhoj Superjet 100s (SSJ 100) this year, down from 37 aircraft in 2014, director of Komsomolsk-on-Amur plant Dmitry Bloschinsky told Russian Aviation Insider.
He explained that the noticeable slowdown is the result of “coordination of output rates and backlog”. The released capacity will serve the purposes of improving production efficiency, the speaker said, noting that the 2016 production plan is yet in the works.
Today SCAC celebrated the program milestone with 100th aircraft (S. N. 89059) making its final test flight at the company flight test facility since the launch of serial production in 2007. The aircraft will be ferried to Ulyanovsk for painting and interior completions. After that it will enter service with Aeroflot, supposedly in early 2016. The S. N. 89059 is one of the ten aircraft that will join the fleet of the 20 SSJ 100s currently operated by Russia’s largest carrier. Although the delivery of this additional batch should have started before the end of 2015, it is yet still undecided, who will act as a lessor.
Currently Komsomolsk facility is assembling its 125th SSJ 100. In the meantime, the aircraft is receiving an extension to its EASA type certificate, enabling some of its new functions, including ICAO Cat IIIa autoland, VNAV and RNAV. The process is streamed by the SSJ 100’s only international operator, a Mexican airline, Interjet .
Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Corporation (SCAC) is demonstrating at this year’s MAKS its Sukhoi Business Jet (SBJ), Russia’s first airliner aimed exclusively at the bizav market. Based on the SJ 100 passenger aircraft, the first SBJ was shown in Zhukovsky two years ago with a demo interior. Its passenger cabin customization was completed in 2014 and is fitted with a VIP interior from Russian Aero Style specialist. The aircraft has been in service with the charter operator Center South in the interest of government agencies.
SCAC says the SBJ’s price tag will be lower than those of the comparable Boeing, Airbus, and Embraer products. “The SBJ will be priced around $10 million lower than the [closest rival Embraer] Lineage 1000,” the company press service reports. However, the Lineage 1000 price starts at $43 million, whereas the SSJ 100 baseline was offered for $35.4 million back in 2012, meaning that the SBJ’s price should be comparable to that of the passenger version.
The business airliner segment is the narrowest one on the bizav market. According to the Web resource JetNet, the global business jet fleet stands at over 29,000 aircraft, whereas there are only slightly more than 360 business airliners in operation. General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) reports that Airbus delivered five such aircraft in 2014; Boeing — 10; and Embraer — only three.
SCAC says it is planning to deliver four to five SBJ airliners per year. The Russian manufacturer is eyeing both the domestic and the international markets, primarily in Southeast Asia and the Middle East. According to the Bombardier Business Aircraft forecast for 2015-24, 400 and 310 business aircraft will be delivered to these regions respectively. The leading market will be China which is expected to see 875 deliveries. If will be followed by Latin America with a demand for 850 new business aircraft.
Sukhoi Superjet 100 has already flight for 100 Thousand Hours in the Sky
In May this year, the total commercial flight hours of Sukhoi Superjet 100 aircraft operated by airlines have reached more than 100 thousand, since its entry into service in April 2011.
It is noteworthy that 100 thousand flight hours was recorded when the aircraft manufacturer is celebrating its 15th anniversary: Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Company was founded on May 25, 2000 to develop new regional aircraft projects.
This is the first Russian aircraft fully developed with the best International Vendors and Suppliers aimed at obtaining a competitive platform to be offered to international airlines.
Today, in different configurations and modifications, 51 SSJ100 aircraft are being operated by Russian airlines – Aeroflot, Gazpromavia, Yakutia, Center-South, Red Wing – the Mexican airline Interjet and special units of the Russian Government structures.
The SSJ100 in its Business Version at Aero India 2015
Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Company is going to show the business version of its Sukhoi Superjet 100 at Aero India 2015, an international large-scale static AeroExpo inaugurated on 18 February 2015 in Bengaluru (India).
The Sukhoi Superjet 100 was shown for the first time to the Indian public in Bengaluru at Aero India 2011, with participants and visitors having the chance to see the prototype of the SSJ100 in its business version.
The business version SCAC is going to show at AeroIndia 2015 is based on the passengers’ platform of the SSJ100. Thanks to its newly designed cabin interiors, the aircraft can offer an outstanding comfort for up to 19 passengers.
SCAC branch in Komsomolsk-on-Amur Celebrates its Tenth Anniversary
The Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Company (SCAC) branch in Komsomolsk-on-Amur (KnAF) celebrated an important event in the Company’s history: the tenth Anniversary of SCAC branch in Komsomolsk, which started the aircraft assembly on February 1, 2005.
Today about 1300 employees work at the SCAC branch in Komsomolsk-on-Amur. The facility represents a leader in the civil aircraft industry in the Russian Federation.
“During this period a large amount of work has been done in terms of facility modernization and introduction of new technologies” the President of SCAC Ilya Tarasenko noted.
In these days another step ahead has been done in the Sukhoi Superjet 100 Program’s development. In fact, on January 31, 2015 SCAC branch in Komsomolsk-on-Amur started the assembly of the 100th Sukhoi Superjet 100 aircraft with 95100 production number.
These two anniversaries mark an outstanding milestone for SCAC and the SSJ100 Program.
