Boeing stepped in to rescue the Ukrainian plane maker Antonov, known for producing the world's largest aircraft.
by David Reid
The firm had ceased production because of its heavy reliance on Russian imports, which had collapsed after Moscow's annexation of Crimea in 2014.
But, Boeing's parts, equipment and services unit, Aviall, is set to now provide the components and Antonov plans to build eight aircraft a year from the end of next year. The deal, which was signed at the Farnborough International Airshow, was confirmed to CNBC via email on Friday.
President of Antonov, Oleksandr Donets, told Reuters in an interview that the next step is to build a storage facility with Aviall.
"This warehouse will deal with products, materials, metals, non-metals — with all components we are not able to get from our former partner, the Russian Federation," he said.
Donets added that the warehouse would be funded by the Boeing subsidiary. Antonov builds a range of passenger, cargo and transport aircraft. The latest under development is the An-132, a twin-engined turboprop used for military transportation which is being jointly developed with Saudi Arabia.
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Still the biggest
In 1988, Antonov completed what is still the world's largest "heavier than air" aircraft to be used as part of the Soviet space shuttle program.
The An-225 Mriya is powered by six turbofan engines and is also the heaviest aircraft ever built, with a maximum takeoff weight of 640 tons. It also has the largest wingspan of any aircraft in operational service.
It was the only example ever completed as Russia's economy struggled badly through the 1990s, forcing the end of the country's attempts to fly a manned space shuttle.
© Provided by CNBC World's Largest Plane Antonov AN-225 Mriya Lands In Perth
Poster Comment:
Jim Dandy to the rescue.