Moskovia Airlines became the third Russian operator of SSJ-100, Business-TASS reports with reference to press-service of Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Company (SCAC).

"At present the jet is leased from SCAC", - the manufacturer noted. The leasing contract for delivery of two SSJ-100s to Moskovia Airlines should be finalized in August.

President of SCAC, Andrey Kalinovsky, said earlier that State Transport Leasing Company (or STLC, the state-owned leasing company controlled by the Ministry of Transport) will act as a lessor in this deal.

Moskovia Airlines was certified for operating SSJ-100 aircraft by the Federal Air Transport Agency in late May 2013. The contract for delivery of the jets was signed in late December 2012 and the financing of the delivery was being discussed ever since. Moskovia’s SSJ-100 performed its first revenue flight from Moscow to Tivat on August 11th 2013.

This jet should have been delivered to Armavia, but the carrier ceased its activities on April 1st 2013.

Two more Russian carriers are operating SSJ-100 aircraft: Aeroflot has 10 SSJ-100s in its fleet and Yakutia Airlines has 2 jets of the type.