Alenia Aeronautica and Russia's Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Company (SCAC) created a joint venture on Monday to market Superjet 100 regional jets in the West.
The new company, Superjet International, is 51% owned by the Finmeccanica subsidiary and 49% by SCAC and will be based in Venice where it can benefit from Alenia's infrastructure facilites.
The company's first branch will be opened in Moscow and other offices will be opened around the world depending on demand.
The Venice offices will be responsible for Superjet 100 sales and support in Europe, the Mediterranean, North and South America, Africa, Oceania and Japan.
The Moscow branch will handle Superjet business in Russia and the other former Soviet republics, China, India, the Middle East and Southeast Asia.
The Superjet 100 family is considered to be one of the most advanced and environmentally friendly regional aircraft on the market.
Alenia will bring to the joint venture its experience in producing the turboprop ATR, the best-selling regional aircraft in the 50 to 75-seat range with over 900 planes sold.
The Venice offices will also be responsible for developing VIP and cargo versions of the Superjet 100, while SCAC will handle design, production, marketing and certification of the standard aircraft.
The new joint venture will have a capital of 15 million euros and over the next three years is expected to employ some 500 people.
The first prototype of the Superjet 100 will come out of the factory September 26 and it will make its first flight by the end of the year.
The first Superjet 100 delivery is set for November 2008 in Russia and the following month in the West.
Orders have already been received for 71 planes and 1,200 are expected to be built over the next 20 years.
At present 75 and 95-seat versions of the plane have been developed while a 110-seat model is currently on the drawing board.
During the new company's first board meeting on Monday, Amedeo Caporaletti was nominated chairman and Alessandro Franzoni was made CEO.
Earlier this year, Alenia Aeronautica signed a general agreement to acquire a 25% plus one share stake in SCAC.
