A joint venture of the Ukrainian aircraft building concern Antonov and the Russian United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) may begin operating already in March, UNIAN news agency quoted Antonov chairman Dmytro Kyva as saying on Friday.
The Russian and Ukrainian premiers, Vladimir Putin and Mykola Azarov, signed an agreement on the joint venture in October.
"The company may begin work next month already," Kyva said. He said the joint venture had already been approved by the Russian anti-monopoly authorities and the government.
The new company was set up to promote the jointly built Antonov aircraft to the market and oversee the pricing policy and aircraft maintenance. The joint venture will also draw up proposals on how to further integrate Russian and Ukrainian aircraft building industries.
Russia and Ukraine will own the joint venture on a parity basis, and the board will have 12 members. The agreement is valid for four years after the first board is elected.
KIEV, February 11 (RIA Novosti)
