Royal Thai Air Force receives two SSJ 100LRs

The aircraft in VIP configuration will enter service in about two months

Royal Thai Air Force have taken delivery of two extended range Sukhoi Superjet 100LR (SSJ100) aircraft in VIP-configuration during an official ceremony help in Venice, home to SuperJet International, a joint venture between the aircraft manufacturer SCAC and Italian Alenia Aermacchi.

The aircraft will be operated in the interests of the country’s leaders, top officials and the high command of the armed forces.

The aircraft cabin interiors feature three zones – a four-passenger VIP zone, a six-passenger business-class zone and a standard area with a seating capacity of up to 50 passengers. Both aircraft are equipped with multimedia and different types of telecommunication, including an on-board entertainment system, which has never been installed on a SSJ100 before. The aircraft will enter service within the next two months.

(Photo by Dmitriy Petrochenko)

SCAC’s vice-president for sales Evgeniy Andrachnikov explained that the interiors were installed in Russia. Further maintenance of the aircraft will be arranged in Thailand. He also mentioned that Thailand had validated EASA’s type certificate for the aircraft.

The contract for the two aircraft was signed after a tender conducted in 2014. The operator is considering purchase of one more of such aircraft. Notably, this is not the first case of a VIP-version SSJ 100 purchase by a foreign entity. One such aircraft is operated by Kazakhstan’s division of Swiss business aviation operator Comlux.