Russia’s new Tu-204 conquers EU’s skies.
Release Date: 2009-01-29
Russia’s new mid-range cargo aircraft TU-204-120CE can officially fly all over the European Union. During a ceremony in Moscow, last January 29th, the plane received the EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency) and International Interstate Committee (IAC) certificate, making it the first Russian aircraft certified according to EU standards.
"It is historical for EASA and for Russian aviation. For the first time ever EASA issues type certificate of Russian-design aircraft Tu-204-120CE. This certificate acknowledges that the aircraft fully complies with EU safety regulations. For the teams of Tupolev, IAC and EASA it is a great achievement,” said with open satisfaction Patrick Goudou, Executive Director of EASA, as he delivered the certificate in the presence of Denis Manturov, Russia’s deputy Minister of Industry and Trade. “Type certificate of EASA is a ticket not only to the European but to the worldwide market,” added Alexey Fedorov, the head of Russia’s civil aviation holding UAC (United Aircraft Corporation.) The ceremony was attended by the heavyweights of Russia’s new civil aviation.
The Tu-204-120CE,equipped with Rolls-Royce engines and English language data representation for pilots (“English-language cockpit,”) will allow the Tupolev company to offer their flagship product to 31 countries in Europe. But the Tu-204-120 has already arrived in China. At the end of last year, the first Tu-204-120 of a contract for five planes, was delivered to China Air Cargo (CAC), and the second its on its way. To remind Europeans of this fact, a miniature of the CAC Tu-204 was presented to Mr Goudou. Tupolev’s General Designer Igor Shevchuk told Focus Communication “the PRC market is estimated as very prospective (for the Tu-204.) China Air Cargo is already preparing for operation of this aircraft. Lufthansa Cargo is also interested, so, hopefully, negotiations will continue with the latter as well.”
It took ten years of work and comings and goings, since the initial application in 1998, some 100 meetings and 1,000 joint work days, and 15,000 sheets of justification documents, to adapt the plane to the EU’s strict safety requirements. But, it was all worth it, said Shevchuk: “We’ve learnt EASA requirements, standards and work formats, and we’ve got the type certificate that was so necessary for us.” Tupolev started the certification when the cargo version had already been successfully operated in Russia and abroad. However, the EASA certificate was regarded as the most significant stage of the project. “Now that this day has come, we can confidently say that the certificate considerably improves the profile of marketing aspects and technical and economic characteristics of the aircraft,” Shevchuk added. Seven aircraft are flying in Russia at present and Tupolev is negotiating the sale of five more: two for Russian airlines and three for Western airlines.
There are other Russian aircraft which will have to be certified - Be-200, Be-103, Ka-42 and SSJ-100 -and Fedorov is hopeful that the certification process can be shortened considerably. “We have agreed with Patrick Goudou, IAC and the Aviation Register to meet and discuss ways to improve these procedures and make them more efficient. We’ll take into account all difficulties that we have found so that in future projects it will be simpler,” he said.
As Mr. Goudou put it, the Tu-204 is “the first child born after the 2004 agreement.” To what Tatiana Anodina, Chairman of the Interstate Aviation Committee replied jokingly: “I can only wish that future children are born quicker, maybe like human children, over 9 months, but not at the expense of quality!”
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