Support The Moscow Times!

Cuban Airline Gets Russian Plane

The main Cuban airline has taken delivery of an Antonov-158 passenger jet, a Russian leasing company said Thursday.

It's the second of three Antonov-158 planes, which seat 97 people, that Cubana de Aviacion ordered from the state-controlled company, Ilyushin Finance said.

The plane has a list price of $25 million to $30 million, depending on furnishing. Ukrainian aircraft maker Antonov sources about 60 percent of its parts in Russia.

Some components come from France, Germany and the U.S. in a way that does not violate U.S. sanctions against Cuba, the Aviation Explorer industry website reported.

Antonov performs the final assembly of the machines from knockdown kits manufactured at a Russian plant in Voronezh.

The first Antonov-158 arrived in Cuba in April, while the third will enter into service later this year. Panama's South American Aircraft Leasing company is an intermediary in the plane deal.

Cubana wants to use the jets on its domestic flights and to ferry people to the Dominican Republic, Mexico and other Latin American countries.

Ilyushin Finance earlier supplied seven other aircraft to Cuba: four medium-range Russian-made Tupolev-204 planes and three long-range Ilyushin-96-300 planes.

The latest and previous deals took place with the support of the government, whose VEB bank lends money for buyers of Russian hi-tech products as part of a state program to boost their exports.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysis and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more