PARIS: French companies are interested to participate in the Russia-China long-range wide-body aircraft project, Director of International Cooperation of French Civil Aviation Authority Bertrand de Lacombe said Monday.
“French companies are very interested to participate in the long-range wide-body aircraft CR-929 project. We, of course, are following the project with interest,” de Lacombe said during the Franco-Russian Council for Economic, Financial, Industrial and Commercial Cooperation (CEFIC).
A model of a widebody jet, which is planned to be developed by Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) and Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) is presented at an air show, the China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, in Zhuhai, Guangdong Province, China, November 2, 2016
Head of the Department of Aviation Industry of Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade Ravil Khakimov said that the proposed collection process for participation in the project is currently in progress.
“French companies really want to participate. Among them are Zodiac Aerospace, Thales, Safran. They have already sent their proposals,” Khakimov said.
Russia and China intend to complete the creation of CR-929 by 2025-2027. The countries expect that the aircraft, that will accommodate 250-300 passengers, will compete with other major aircraft producers such as Airbus or Boeing. The project is expected to not only get a substantial market share in Russia and China, but also in other countries. The estimated cost of the project is $13-20 billion.
