Sukhoi Civil Aircraft (Zhukovsky) has held talks with Iranian operators Caspian Airlines (CPN, Tehran Mehrabad), Kish Air (KIS, Tehran Mehrabad), and Zagros Airlines (Iran) (IZG, Abadan) concerning the possible sale of the manufacturer's SSJ 100/95 regional jet.

“Iranian aviation companies are interested in having it since it is a very low-cost aircraft while there is no Airbus in the 100-seat size,” Iranian Vice-President for Science and Technology, Dr. Sorena Sattari, was quoted by the Fars News Agency at the MAKS Airshow at Zhukovsky last week.

Earlier this year, the president of the United Aircraft Corporation, Yuri Slusar, said the Iranians were looking to acquire 'dozens' of Superjets to satisfy local demand. Russia has indicated it may permit the Iranians to localize a part of the SuperJet's production should it purchase the jet.

The sale of the aircraft, however, is contingent on sanctions currently imposed on Iran, being uplifted as in its current configuration, the SuperJet contains a host of Western-designed technology including a fly-by-wire flight control system designed by Liebherr, an integrated avionics suite made by Thales, and a high-pressure-ratio engine core provided by Snecma.

As such, Moscow is now pushing Sukhoi to redesign the jet albeit using locally manufactured components. In addition to stimulating local industries and removing the country's reliance on the West, the move is also expected to drive the overall cost of the Rouble-denominated Superjet down thus making it a more appealing prospect to customers, particularly those in emerging markets.