On June 6th 2015 another An-158 short-haul aircraft was delivered to Cubana de Aviacion (Cuba). This is the sixth jet of the type delivered to the customer by Ilyushin Finance & Co. (IFC) leasing company, the lessor’s press-service reports.
«Deliveries of the aircraft to Cuba were started in 2013 under a purchase agreement between IFC and South American Aircraft Leasing (SAAL, Panama), which finances leasing of the aircraft for the Cuban carrier. Delivery of the sixth An-158 jet finalized implementation of the contract by IFC, the company explained.
Besides An-158 jets, since 2005 IFC has already delivered 8 Russian-produced aircraft to Cuba, including 4 Tu-204 medium-haul aircraft (passenger and cargo versions) and 4 Il-96-300 long-haul airliners. Thus the total number of aircraft delivered to Cuba by IFC is 14 ones. All the jets were delivered under the governmental program for financial support (guarantees) of export of hi-tech industrial products.These guarantees are provided by the government to banks, which grant credits to buyers of Russian products. Roseksimbank (subsidiary of Vnesheconombank, which specializes on financial support of Russian exports) is financing these deals, IFC noted.
An-158 is able to carry up to 99 passengers; it was derived from An-148 jet having a passenger capacity of 75 persons. An-148s are manufactured in Voronezh, while the final assembly of An-158 jets is carried out in Kiev by Antonov State Enterprise. The An-148/158 Family jets are manufactured in close cooperation between Russian and Ukrainian enterprises. Up to 65% of components of each jet are produced by Russian enterprises (including the enterprises of Rostec State Corporation), that is why these jets are part of the program for financing of exports.
An-158 has a range of 2500 km and maximum flight speed of 870 km/h. The unique feature of An-158 is its unique aerodynamic configuration – “high-wing aircraft”. The high-wing position allows operating the jet from unpaved runways located in hard-to-reach regions. An-148/158 jets have been certified by the Interstate Aviation Committee in accordance with JAR-25 harmonized with European CS-25 and US FAR-25. Since the start of deliveries of indigenous aircraft to Cuba an MRO center was established there for servicing Il-96 and Tu-204 aircraft. The corresponding agreement for maintaining airworthiness of An-158 jets was signed in 2014 by IFC Technik and Aviaimport S.A. This center will also be carrying out the post-sales support of An-158 jets. The center helps increase the appeal of Russian-produced aircraft to airlines of Latin America, IFC reminded.