Russia’s Illyushin Finance Co. has announced it is developing a business jet version of the An-148 regional jet. The An-148 is a high-wing RJ with a cruise of about 450 knots. It’s built by Antonov in Ukraine and can seat up to 70 passengers in airline configuration. As a bizjet, it will seat 19 in the luxury configuration and 38 as a corporate shuttle. It will have a range of about 4,000 nm with eight pax.
The An-148 had its first flight in late 2004 and went into service in early 2007. Antonov claims the aircraft has direct operating costs up to 30 percent less than the similarly sized Embraer E170. It also meets ICAO Ch. 4 noise and environmental requirements. It’s high-wing configuration is suited to unimproved airports and the company says it retains its heritage of rugged simplicity of design and construction.
