HANOI – Ukraine and Vietnam are holding negotiations on supplies of An-148 aircraft, Ukrainian Premier Mykola Azarov has said.
“We have held specific talks on supplies of An-148 aircraft, as well
as the modernization of the An-26 aircraft that are being used here,” he
told journalists in Hanoi (Vietnam) on Friday.
As reported, the Ukrainian premier took part in the presentation of
the An-148 new generation regional jet in Hanoi on November 15 as a part
of his official visit to Vietnam.
President and General Designer of Antonov State Enterprise Dmytro
Kiva, who took part in the event, said Ukraine was ready to ensure the
modernization of 20 An-26 planes that have been operated in Vietnam over
the past 33 years.
According to the Antonov Enterprise, the An-148-100V presented in
Vietnam is operated jointly by Ukraine International Airlines and
Antonov Airlines.
On November 14, the aircraft flew more than 8,000 km from Kyiv to
Hanoi with one refueling landing. It carried the delegation of Ukrainian
businessmen who will participate in the Ukrainian-Vietnamese business
forum, which will be held during the official visit of the Ukrainian
prime minister to Vietnam.
The An-148-100V aircraft can transport up to 85 passengers on international and domestic airlines.
An-148 was put in operation in 2009. The aircraft were primarily used by Ukraine’s AeroSvit and Russia’s Rossiya airlines.
Thirteen An-148 aircraft have been in commercial exploitation as of
today. They have transported more than 1.5 million passengers as of
today.
