By Oleg Nekhai

Two Sukhoi SuperJet-100 medium-haul airliners have landed at Zhukovsky airport outside of Moscow for subsequent test flights there. Earlier, the planes took off the Far East-based Komsomolsk-on-Amur airport, covering thousands of kilometers to take part in certification test flights in the Moscow region.

A third SuperJet is also due to take part in the tests. The airliner will have Russia’s tricolor flag painted on its fuselage in a friendly design that aims to attract attention of the passengers. Aside from using environmentally friendly enamel, the manufacturers did their best to design the new airliner so that the passengers could feel comfortable while on board. In terms of armchairs’ design and aisle’s width, for example, the SuperJet-100 is currently on par with its American and European medium-haul rivals from Boeing and Airbus. What’s more, relatively cheap SuperJet-100 will spend much less fuel during the flight as compared with its foreign rivals, explained Mikhail Pogosyan, head of Russia’s Sukhoi aircraft maker.

“In the past five years, we have focused on implementing the Sukhoi SuperJet-100 medium-haul liner project,” Pogosyan noted, adding that the test flights program to confirm the plane’s cruise speed is now successfully coming to a close. “Although some issues concerning the aircraft’s integration systems are yet to be resolved, we plan to finalize the test flights as soon as the end of this year. With the certification program slated to be finalized soon, first commercial flights of SuperJet-100 should begin next year.”

The Sukhoi aircraft maker plans to manufacture SuperJet-100 in three variations – as passenger, cargo, and business plane with the capacity of 75, 115, and 130 seats, respectively. Russia’s Aeroflot flagship carrier has already signaled its readiness to purchase the sophisticated medium-haul liner, which experts say will successfully compete with its Chinese rivals. The end of this year may well see SuperJet-100 get a Russian safety certificate, while next year, the plane will be certificated in accordance with European Aviation Safety Agency and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration regulations. Experts believe that the SuperJet-100’s advanced characteristics will significantly add to its foray into the international aviation markets in the coming years.