"Up to ten Sukhoi Superjet airplanes are planned for service. Taking into account the cost of the airplanes, staff and the necessary auxiliary equipment, the volume of investments may reach up to 300 million USD," Sokolov said.
The transport ministry is inviting private companies to invest in the new firm, but it will provide some financing to acquire the necessary airplanes through the State Transport Leasing Company (GTLK).
The airline has been registered as a company, and is in the process of getting the necessary certificate and license for operating commercial flights from the Federal Agency for Air Transport (Rosaviatsia).
The Russian newspaper Kommersant reported that the new airline's hub will be Rostov-on-Don airport, one of the largest airports in the southwest of Russia, which 2.2 million passengers passed through last year.
An expert in the aviation industry told Kommersant that Sukhoi Superjet 100 aircraft are well suited to the transport needs of passengers between central Russia and southern regions such as Crimea and Krasnodar.
"Transporting passengers from the South to another Russian region means a huge amount of passenger traffic, which can only be served by larger capacity aircraft like the SSJ 100," the source said.
