Antonov Design Bureau creating new modification of An-148
A new lengthened version of the An-148 – the An-148-200 - is being created by the Antonov Design Bureau, the plane maker has told Interfax.
"Currently the airplane is being actively developed by the Antonov Design Bureau," Yuriy Ostrovsky, the aircraft producer's deputy director general and technical director of Ilyushin Finance Co., told Interfax.
The lengthenedAn-148-200 differs from the An-148 due to an additional insert in the fuselage that increases its capacity to 86 passengers in the two-class layout and to 99 passengers in the one-class layout. Along with this, its flight range remains the same, 3,100 kilometers.
According to Ostrovsky, the mass production of An-148-200 could start in 18 months.
The market demand for the An-148-200 until 2015 is estimated at 200 airplanes.