Russian plane maker Sukhoi has dropped a $900 million deal with Indonesia's Kartika Airlines, which ordered 30 Superjet 100s in 2010, because the airline could not meet the financial requirements of the deal, a Sukhoi executive said Thursday.
The Indonesian airline said in 2012 it would not cancel the order after one of the Superjets crashed in Indonesia in May during a promotional flight, which investigators said was due to pilot error and to Jakarta air traffic control's lack of a minimum safe altitude system.
"Kartika wanted to buy 30 planes, but until now they haven't met the requirements," Alexander Shamkov, Sukhoi's regional director for Southeast Asia told reporters.
"Sukhoi withdrew [from the deal] because Kartika can't fulfill the financial requirements."
Two Kartika directors declined to comment when contacted by Reuters.
(Reuters)
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