Russian Minister of Industry and Trade: "New Far East-Based Airline to Have 20 Passenger Aircraft"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] According to the Russian state-run TASS news agency, a newly established airline based in the Russian Far East will have a fleet of 20 passenger aircraft.

According to the report on the 16th, Denis Manturov, Russia's Minister of Industry and Trade, stated to the press on the 14th that the airline newly established in the Far East will have about 20 Sukhoi Superjet 100 (SSJ100) aircraft.

Minister Manturov emphasized, "As agreed with the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East, (the new airline) will have about 20 aircraft," adding that this is the appropriate number of aircraft needed for the new airline.

The SSJ100 is a medium-sized passenger aircraft with a capacity of 108 seats, developed and produced by Russia targeting the global market for the first time since the collapse of the Soviet Union, and has been on sale since 2011.

It was developed by Sukhoi, a famous Russian aircraft manufacturer.

Last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin instructed the cabinet to report specific plans regarding the establishment of an airline based in the Far Eastern Federal District.

President Putin specifically ordered the cabinet to organize necessary matters for the company establishment, such as the type of passenger aircraft and the number of passengers to be transported.

In this regard, the government is discussing measures such as injecting additional government budget into existing regional airlines to establish a new low-cost airline or creating an entirely new airline.

The Far Eastern Federal District, composed of 11 federal subjects, is one of the eight large federal districts of Russia.

It notably includes Primorsky Krai and Khabarovsk Krai, covering nearly 41% of Russia's territory, which is almost half of the country's land area.

Due to its vast area, there is naturally a high demand for air travel, but existing airlines have been consistently criticized in the Far East for failing to adequately meet this demand.