The Interstate Aviation Committee, based in Moscow, has granted a type certificate to the Antonov An-158, a stretched version of the An-148 regional jet (previously known as the An-148-200).
The new version, certified Feb. 25, features a fuselage that is 1.7 meters longer and has improved avionics and winglets. The An-158 can carry 99 passengers in a single-class configuration with a range of up to 2,500 km, compared with 2,700 km for a 75-seat An-148-100B.
The certification program was relatively short because it focused on the variants from the baseline aircraft. The An-158 logged merely 79 flights and clocked 147 flight hours. The new aircraft is certified for operations at extreme temperatures (from -55C to +45C) and landing under ICAO Category IIIa rules.
The An-158 completed its first flight in April 2010. In contrast with the An-148 that is built both in Russia and Ukraine, the new version will be assembled at a Kiev-based Aviant plant in partnership with the Russian aviation industry.
Russia’s Ilyushin Finance Co. (IFC) leasing company is the launch customer with a firm order for 10 aircraft plus 10 options, announced at the Farnborough Air Show last summer.
IFC representatives tell Aviation Week that Antonov should deliver the first aircraft this year, but the leasing company is still in negotiations with its potential customers to place it.
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