Sukhoi Civil Aircraft (SCAC) held a roll-out ceremony of two Sukhoi Business Jet (SBJ) aircraft built for Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF). The aircraft will be providing VIP transportation services for Thai top officials and government leaders as well as to the High Command of Thailand. The two SBJs are the company’s first business jets acquired by an overseas customer.
Air Chief Marshal Treetod Sonjance, Commander-in-Chief of The Royal Thai Air Force, Ilya Tarasenko, President of SCAC, Nazario Cauceglia, CEO of SuperJet International, and Marc Sorel, CEO and Chairman of PowerJet, took part in the official ceremony celebrating the aircraft roll-out and acquisition.
The version of the SBJ designed for RTAF has three sections differing in comfort level: a 4-seat VIP area, a 6-seat business class area, and a passenger compartment for 50 people. The aircraft ensure maximum passenger comfort, including communication and Inflight-Entertainment systems.
The SBJ’s flight range is over 4500 km. The aircraft, including the interior, were assembled in Russia. In-service maintenance support for the RTAF jets will be provided in Thailand.
The aircraft are delivered to RTAF as part of the bidding and procurement process for which SCAC was awarded a contract in 2014.
Ilya Tarasenko, President of Sukhoi Civil Aircraft: “The delivery of the SBJs to the Royal Thai Air Force is our debut on the global business aviation market. The SBJ provides premium level air service and demonstrates SCAC’s flexible approach to our customers’ preferences. It is a great honour for SCAC to have produced the VIP version of our aircraft for Thai leaders and we are confident that our SBJ will be a success”.
ACM Treetod Sonjance, Commander-in-Chief of Royal Thai Air Force: “From the day the Royal Thai Air Force signed the contract to purchase the Sukhoi Superjet 100 aircraft on September 15, 2014, Sukhoi Civil Aircraft personnel have been at their best to provide the Royal Thai Air Force with a top product in accordance with its specification as well as to supply the ground support equipment, materials, and training programs. All steps have been completed on schedule and only some training is still in process. The newly manufactured Sukhoi Superjet 100 aircraft is now ready to be stationed in the Royal Thai Air Force to support VIP operations of Royal Thai Air Force”. (Russian Aviation/Business World Magazine)