The purchase of a French-made jet for the Russian president will help to cut presidential transport costs, Russian news site Gazeta.ru cited head of the presidential property management administration Vladimir Kozhin as saying.
The Falcon-series jet, made by French aircraft manufacturer Dassault Falcon, will be the first foreign aircraft in the presidential air fleet.
"For the first time in our operating experience we have set out to buy foreign-made aircraft," Gazeta.ru quoted Kozhin as saying in an interview with Ekho Moskvy radio station, adding, however, that another Falcon-series jet was already in the presidential squadron's service. A presidential property management administration spokesman refused to specify which plane is used.
Kozhin said the main consideration when selecting the presidential aircraft was cutting transport costs.
"The flight on a Il-96 300 from Moscow to Saint Petersburg, a route frequently used by the president and the prime minister, costs around 450,000-460,000 rubles, while the flight by this plane will cost around 80,000-90,000 rubles," he told Gazeta.ru.
Gazeta.ru said the cost of the new jet could have been as much as $50 million.
Falcon business jets are popular with the international business community and state leaders.
"It [the Falcon jet] is capable of meeting the most demanding requirements of passengers, especially on very long nonstop flights," the President and CEO of Dassault Falcon, John Rosanvallon said.
The French president's air fleet has four Falcon 50s, two Falcon 900s and one Falcon 7X in its service. The Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad uses a Falcon 50EX and the Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, a Falcon 900EX.
Dassault Falcon sells and supports Falcon business jets across the world. It is part of Dassault Aviation, a leading aerospace company with a presence in over 70 countries across five continents.
Dassault Aviation produces the Rafale fighter jet and a line of Falcon business jets. The company has assembly and production plants in both France and the United States and service facilities on multiple continents.
The business jet line includes three tri-jets: the Falcon 900DX, 900LX and the 7X-as well as the twin-engine 2000DX and 2000LX.
Along with the Falcon-series jet, a Russian-made Sukhoi Superjet 100 airliner may be bought for the Russian presidential air fleet.
Earlier Kozhin said the Kremlin had "big plans" for the Superjet 100.
"As soon as the jet rolls off the production line we are definitely ready to purchase it for presidential needs," Kozhin said.
MOSCOW, May 18 (RIA Novosti)
