OREANDA-NEWS. February 27, 2010. The newest Russian-Ukrainian An-148 jet has made its first flight from Saint-Petersburg to Moscow and landed in Domodedovo Airport. Eventually it is expected to replace the obsolete Tu-134 and become a serious competitor to Superget-100. Therefore the landing of the jet was celebrated with flowers, presents and press coverage.

Andrey Pivovarov, Supervisor of the jet operation workshop says this: “Advantages of the jet are the highly located engines, due to which the jet may land on a rough runway surface, and the integral stairs which reduces delays in airports. The jet may work independently: let the stairs out, let the passengers out, let the passengers in, launch the engines and set off”.

There are new elements in the interior too. The seating chart is as this: 2 seats in a row on the right and 3 seats on the left. Elena, a stewardess, confesses that her new working place is more comfortable than all the previous ones.

The crew say that the new jet is not just a step, but rather a leap forward.

Shakhniyar Askerov, Deputy Commander of the An-148 squadron says: “We are impressed by the ergonomic cabin: everything is near at hand, however, the cabin is spacious and comfortable”.

In An-148, the soft cushioned reclining chairs are located at a large and comfortable distance. The jet spends only 2-3 hours in the air, and the passenger has no time to get tired.

This is the first regional jet launched in serial production in Russia in close cooperation with Ukraine: designed in Kiev and assembled in Voronezh.

Director General of the owner company says that the flying An-148 and the other 120 liners that have been ordered are the evidence that the Russian air industry is alive.

Alexpander Rubtsov, IFC Director General: “This is all very important for our industry which produces engines, avionics and other systems, since it provides work for years and years.”