Subdued representatives from SuperJet International (SJI) told reporters at the Regional Airline Assn. (RAA) annual convention in Minneapolis Tuesday that the recent crash of a Sukhoi Superjet SSJ100 has not significantly altered plans to manufacture and market the Russian-built regional aircraft.
Declining to provide a full press briefing on the SSJ program, the representatives instead read a statement from SJI CEO Nazario Cauceglia, who expressed both sadness and a determination to move the program forward. Cauceglia said the crashed SSJ100, which was on a demonstration flight in Indonesia May 9, lost radio contact about 20 min. after takeoff. He noted that the crashed aircraft made its first flight in July 2009 and had accumulated more than 800 flight hr. “No serious technical issues” ever arose during previous flights, he said.
“Every effort is being made to determine what went wrong and why,” he added. “It does not alter our belief in the aircraft or its safety. The sadness we feel … will remain with us forever.”
SJI said Superjet production has not been slowed in the aftermath of the crash, which killed all 45 people on board the aircraft.
Article Source : ATW Daily News
No comments:
Post a Comment