MOSCOW, January 29 (RIA Novosti) - Russia is set to build 700 state-of-the-art passenger airliners by 2015, a deputy prime minister said Monday.
"A timetable for manufacturing new-generation civilian aircraft, in particular the SuperJet 100, is to be presented today at a session of the military-industrial commission," said Sergei Ivanov, who is also Russia's defense minister.
He said the share of Russian civilian passenger aircraft on the world market would grow to 5-7% by 2012, and to 10-12% by 2015.
Ivanov said the first such airplane was delivered to Moscow Sunday and that test flights would begin shortly.
"Plans call for the construction of at least 700 such airliners, which are needed by domestic carriers," he said.
The minister said the situation with civilian aircraft production in Russia was "not very good," adding that the United Aircraft Building Corporation was established exactly for the purpose of correcting the shortfall.
The 90% state-owned UABC conglomerate will incorporate commercial and military aircraft makers such as Sukhoi, Ilyushin, and Tupolev, as well as companies involved in distribution, including Aviaexport.
It is set to begin operations in the first quarter of 2007 and to hold an IPO in early 2008.
Sergei Ivanov is chairman of the UABC Board of Directors.
