Iranian Airlines Eye Russian Jets

After watching a demonstration flight in Tehran on Tuesday, Maqsoud As’adi Samani, the head of the Association of Iranian Airlines, was quoted as saying by Mehr News Agency on Wednesday that “Sukhoi showcased one of its products before representatives of Iranian airlines and a majority of them expressed interest.” The 108-seat twin-engine SSJ-100 is the first jetliner Russia has developed since the collapse of the Soviet Union. SSJ-100 is more than 50% cheaper compared to the 107-seat Airbus A318 and 30% less than the 98-seat Embraer 190. The Russian manufacturers have offered parts manufacturing partnership to Iran. However, Iranian experts have expressed concern over the poor safety record of the aircraft.