Ukrainian-Russian An-140 aircraft to be assembled under license in Kazakhstan

KYIV, February 28, 2011 (UKRINFORM). Ukraine and Kazakhstan have signed preliminary documents for the licensed assembly of Russian-Ukrainian An-140 aircraft, Deputy General Designer of the Antonov State Enterprise Oleksandr Kiva has said. He said that Kazakhstan was currently studying a number of investment projects to build an assembly plant in the country. Kiva noted that the country's top leadership "has a political interest in the development of aviation technology, plus they see that aircraft are in demand." According to experts, he added, the domestic aircraft market is over 90 planes. The Kazakh side, Kiva said, opted for the An-140, "after looking how airplanes operate in Yakutia, with minimal post-sales support." He added that state-owned enterprises in that country could also serve as customers for An-140s. Asked about possible aircraft production in Kazakhstan, Kiva noted that according to experts, the first plane could be assembled next year. In the beginning, he added, the issue will concern the final assembly of aircraft from units produced in Ukraine and Russia.
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