UTair-Express (Syktyvkar) will only take delivery of its first of six SSJ 100/95s on order from Sukhoi Civil Aircraft (Zhukovsky) towards the end of the year UTair President, Passenger Airlines, Oleg Semenov, has said. In an interview with Russia's Itar TASS news agency, Semenov said the delays in the delivery of the aircraft were due to sanctions imposed on Russian banks.
"The deal is in its final stages. Funding has now been solved, and there are no limits. Two aircraft are ready, and the third will soon be settled. I believe we will begin operation of the aircraft before the end of the year," he said.
UTair-Express will receive six long-range variants of the SSJ-100 following the signing of a three-party contract between Sukhoi Civil Aircraft, UTair Aviation and VEB-Leasing in August 2013.
According to the Kommersant newspaper, US and European sanctions have severely affected Russian leasing firms' ability to access cheap long-term financing abroad resulting in delays with deliveries of local aircraft - among them the SSJ 100.
