ANTONOV Signs Agreement To Manufacture AN−132 Aircraft In Saudi Arabia

ANTONOV Company has signed an agreement with a Saudi firm Taqnia Aeronautics Co. to establish an aircraft manufacturing complex for Antonov aircraft and production of AN−132 transport aircraft in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The signing ceremony between Mykhaylo Gvozdov, President of ANTONOV Company, and Ali Mohammed Al−Ghamdi, CEO of Taqnia Aeronautics Co. was held at AFED−2016, held in Ar Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, from 21-28 February.

The agreement covers the delivery, organization of operation and after−sale support of Antonov aircraft of the AN−132, AN−148 families and AN−178.

It also concerns further joint works on organization of cooperative production of the AN−132 in Saudi Arabia.

According to the company press release, completion of the AN−132 construction is scheduled for the end of 2016. At present, works on the aircraft final assembly (joining the main aircraft aggregates – wing, tail union, pylons, engine nacelles) are in progress at the enterprise. Assembly of the fuselage of the first new transport aircraft−demonstrator AN−132D was completed in February 8.

At the show, the companies have also signed an agreement on cooperation and arrangement of relations in a sphere of aviation materials for joint development of metallic and non−metallic materials to be used in production of Antonov aircraft.