Giovanni Bertolone speaking at his first joint news conference with Sukhoi representatives since the two companies signed a strategic cooperation agreement on the Russian Regional Jet project in June.
Bertolone told journalists at the Farnborough International Airshow that his company had acquired 25% plus one share in Sukhoi Civil Aircraft, thus becoming a minority shareholder with a blocking stake.
The family of new Russian Regional Jet (RRJ) aircraft has been renamed Sukhoi SuperJet-100, the head of aircraft manufacturer Sukhoi said Monday.
Mikhail Pogosyan said, "We will shortly roll out our new aircraft; it is now time to give it a new, sexier name - Sukhoi SuperJet-100."
The RRJ project is a family of medium-range passenger aircraft developed by Sukhoi in cooperation with major American and European aviation corporations, including Boeing, Snecma, Thales, Messier Dowty, Liebherr Aerospace, and Honeywell.
Sukhoi plans to produce at least 700 RRJs, and intends to sell 35% of them to North America, 25% to Europe, 10% to Latin America, and 7% to Russia and China.
The RRJ market until 2023 is estimated at 5,400-5,600 units, and valued at $100 billion.
