Moscow: The first Sukhoi Superjet 100 medium-haul passenger airliner has completed ground tests and been cleared for its maiden flight.

Sukhoi informed that the aircraft's systems and avionics have successfully undergone a standard set of in-situ tests at the Central Aerohydrodynamics Institute (TsAGI), and the plane is now ready for flight tests, which are due to start in May.

The Superjet 100 project is a family of medium-range passenger aircraft developed by the Sukhoi Design Bureau in cooperation with major American and European aviation corporations, including Boeing, Snecma, Thales, Messier Dowty, Liebherr Aerospace, and Honeywell.

The Sukhoi aircraft manufacturer successfully tested Superjet 100 engines in mid-February.

The company plans to manufacture at least 700 Superjet 100s, and intends to sell 35 per cent of them to North America, 25 per cent to Europe, 10 per cent to Latin America, and seven per cent to Russia and China.

Mikhail Pogosyan, Sukhoi's general director, said in January that the company had secured 73 solid orders for the aircraft.

The price of a 95-seat base model is $28 million, but the company is currently working on both smaller and larger capacity modifications.

The market for the Superjet 100 is estimated at around $100 billion for around 5,500 planes, through to 2023.

Source : IANS