Russian regional air carrier RusLine has been in talks with Sukhoi Civil Aircraft and Ilyushin Finance to lease 18 Sukhoi Superjet 100 (SSJ100) planes for 12 years to double the fleet, Kommersant business daily reported on Monday citing sources.

The companies will sign a preliminary agreement soon, the sources said. The planes will be delivered in 2019–2024.

A representative of Sukhoi Civil Aircraft confirmed there are negotiations, but declined to comment before the contract is signed.