Alenia Aeronautica, Sukhoi: Superjet International starts operations in Venice

Alenia Aeronautica, a Finmeccanica company, and Sukhoi Company announce the setting up of Superjet International, the new joint venture focused on worldwide after sales support and marketing and sales on western markets of the Superjet 100 regional aircraft family – the most advanced and environmental friendly regional jet aircraft available on the market. The new company is owned for 51% by Alenia Aeronautica and for 49% by Sukhoi Company.

Moreover, today the first Superjet International Board of Director’s meeting has appointed Amedeo Caporaletti as Chairman of the Board of Directors and Alessandro Franzoni as Chief Executive Officer.

Headquartered in Venice, Superjet International will capitalise on Alenia Aeronautica’s full-fledged infrastructure already available at its owned company Alenia Aeronavali’s site in Venice. Moscow will be a home for the new joint venture’s first branch and, later on, additional branches will appear in the most relevant markets.

Furthermore, the new joint venture will leverage on Alenia Aeronautica’s outstanding experience in regional aircraft marketing and after sales achieved thanks to ATR, the best selling aircraft in the 50 to 75-seat turboprop market with more than 900 aircraft sold since the beginning of the programme.

Superjet International’s mission is to promote and sell the Superjet 100 in Europe, Mediterranean area, North and South America, Africa, Oceania and Japan, as well as to customise the aircraft for the western customers and provide worldwide after sales. The company is also responsible for the design and development of VIP and cargo versions, based upon Superjet 100 family platform.

SCAC, Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Company being in charge of design, production, marketing and certification of the aircraft, is responsible for promotion and sales in the Russian, CIS countries’, Chinese, Indian, Middle East and South-East Asian markets.

The General Agreement, signed at Le Bourget in June this year paves the way for Alenia Aeronautica to acquire 25%, plus 1 share in SCAC, to benefit from the Programme as a shareholder together with Sukhoi (75%).

Background information:

Superjet 100

The Superjet 100, the family of next-generation 75-110 seat regional jets developed by Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Corp. (SCAC) in co-operation with Alenia Aeronautica, a Finmeccanica group company, represents the most important industrial partnership between Europe and the Russian Federation in the civil aviation sector.

The Superjet 100 programme, based on two models, the 75 and 95-seat with a third larger version currently in development, was launched in 2001. The prototype is now in final assembly at Komsomolsk and its first flight is scheduled for the end of the year, with delivery of the first aircraft to Aeroflot-Russian Airlines, the programme’s first customer, in November 2008.

Currently, a test airframe is located at the Central Aerodynamics Institute in Moscow for statistical tests.

To date, 71 Superjet 100 aircraft have been ordered.

The potential market over the next 20 years for 75-100 seat regional jets is put at 5,400 aircraft, and the family of Superjet 100 could capture around 1,200 orders in the first 20 years of the programme.

All the models of the Superjet 100 family will have the same wings and engine: two SaM 146 engines from PowerJet, the 50-50 joint venture between SNECMA (France) and NPO Saturn (Russia), set up especially to develop this new engine.

The Superjet 100 flies at a cruising speed of Mach 0.78, reaches a cruising height of 41,000 feet and takes off from a 1,520 m runway. The landing runway for both versions is 1,300 m. The aircraft has a range of 4,500 km in the 75-seat version and 4,400 km in the 95-seat version.

Alenia Aeronautica

Alenia Aeronautica, a Finmeccanica Company, is the largest Italian aeronautic player which operates world-wide in the commercial and military aviation, unmanned aerial vehicles and aerostructures. Alenia Aeronautica also coordinates the activities of Alenia Aermacchi and Alenia Aeronavali - wholly owned companies – respectively active in the design and manufacturing of military trainer aircraft and in the overhaul, maintenance and modification of military and civil aircraft. With its joint venture ATR, Alenia Aeronautica is the world leader in the regional turboprop market. Over 2006 Alenia Aeronautica reported revenues of 1,908 millions Euro, backlog for 7,538 millions Euro and orders for 2,634. The total workforce is 12,135.

Sukhoi Company

Sukhoi Company is Russia’s major aircraft holding company, employing about 28,000 people. Among the holding’s members are leading Russian design bureaus and aircraft production plants. The Company supports a complete cycle of work in aircraft engineering: from frontend engineering to comprehensive aftersales support. The holding's products, such as Su- marque combat aircraft, are state-of-the-art weapons systems in the global market, which form the backbone of the frontline aviation of Russia and tactical air forces of many other countries. The Company is Russia's major manufacturer of export aircraft, placed 3rd in the world in terms of the numbers of modern fighters produced. The Company is currently implementing promising programmes in the field of military and civil aircraft engineering.

Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Company

Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Company was established in 2000 when Sukhoi adopted the strategy to diversify business by entering the commercial airplanes market with Sukhoi Superjet 100 family, an aircraft to meet the highest requirements of the worldwide operators.

Being a subsidiary of Sukhoi Holding Company and Sukhoi Design Bureau, SCAC is headquartered in Moscow. It currently employs over 1.500 people and leads the Sukhoi Superjet 100 Programme.

The roll out of the first flying Sukhoi Superjet 100 is planned for September 26, 2007, the first flight by the end of the year and the delivery of the aircraft is targeted for November 2008. Firm orders portfolio for the Sukhoi Superjet 100 totals to 71 aircraft.

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