ANTONOV has rolled out its AVRO (DH, HS, BAe 146) twin engined T-tailed look alike and says that the new regional jet will make its maiden flight by the end of this month. Whilst no firm orders have been announced there are said to be letters of intent for 40 of the Kiev (Ukraine) built aircraft. The ?N148-100 is the base model and can provide 30” pitch 3 + 2 seating for up to 80 passengers in a one class layout. Maximum range is set at 5100 km with a cruise speed 820-870 km/h. Around the same time another aircraft from the Russian Federation made its first flight, the Tupolev 234, a scaled down version of the Tu 204, best known in the West for its successful operations by Atlantic Airlines on behalf of TNT. This new aircraft has made its maiden flight just as its Boeing look alike completes production
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