Grounding of Sukhoi 100 in Russia and Mexico

While it was announced that three private companies in Iran are interested in purchasing Sukhoi passenger jets and one company has reached an agreement with Sukhoi, a technical defect in these jets has caused two companies, Aeroflot in Russia and Interjet in Mexico, to suspend flights of these aircraft. Following this incident, the possibility of Iranian companies purchasing these aircraft is now uncertain. Denis Manturov, the Russian Minister of Industry, stated, 'Interjet Mexico identified a technical issue with the Sukhoi Superjet 100 passenger aircraft after inspection, which will be resolved in the near future.' The Russian Aviation Authority reported that the grounding of the Sukhoi 100 passenger aircraft was due to reports of technical problems in the tail section of the aircraft. In light of this incident, Aeroflot also halted operations of its Sukhoi Superjet 100 fleet due to technical issues. So far, 111 units of this aircraft have been produced, with an approximate price of around $35 million. Recently, it was announced that three Iranian airlines are also interested in purchasing these aircraft. After showcasing the Sukhoi Superjet 100 in Iran and over a year of marketing, Sukhoi managed to sign its first sales memorandum for the Superjet 100 with an Iranian company. Sukhoi announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding for the sale of the Superjet 100 passenger aircraft with one of the Iranian airlines. Interfax reported that this memorandum was signed during the visit of Sukhoi airline officials in mid-December 2016 with the Iranian side. Alexander Novak, the Russian Minister of Energy, had previously stated that Russia was negotiating the sale of the Superjet 100 to Iran. At that time, Maqsoud Asadi Samani, the Secretary of the Association of Airline Companies, reported that Iranian airlines welcomed the Sukhoi Superjet 100 and said, 'On December 14, the Sukhoi company introduced one of its products (Superjet 100) in Iran, and after that, most airlines showed a positive response to this Russian product. During this airshow, a Sukhoi 100 performed two flights in front of representatives of Iranian airlines, and subsequent discussions took place between Sukhoi representatives and Iranian airlines. Most airlines and also newly established companies were interested in negotiating and purchasing this product.' However, following the technical defect that arose, the story of this aircraft's entry into Iran took a different turn, and the Secretary of the Association of Airline Companies in Iran changed his position regarding this aircraft. Maqsoud Asadi Samani, after the grounding of these aircraft in Mexico and Russia, stated, 'Three private airlines have negotiated with this company to lease the Sukhoi 100. In the negotiations between Iranian airlines and Sukhoi, the issue of purchasing the aircraft is not on the table because this type of aircraft is still not recognized by airlines. The entry of the Sukhoi 100 into Iran will only be done through leasing; moreover, considering the grounding of this aircraft due to the problems that arose, the leasing discussion is also faced with uncertainties, and Sukhoi must resolve the existing defect. If during the leasing period, the Sukhoi 100 can prove its capabilities, there may be hope for purchasing this type of aircraft in the future. Despite the interest of private companies, state-owned companies have not expressed readiness to lease the Sukhoi 100; furthermore, it seems that the grounding of this aircraft will affect airlines' decision-making regarding leasing, and if there is a significant technical defect in the Sukhoi, the possibility of companies retracting their decisions exists.' The Sukhoi Superjet 100 is a main competitor to aircraft from Embraer, Bombardier, and Mitsubishi, but recently Russia unveiled its new MC-21 aircraft. This aircraft is a main competitor to the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737, and if there are obstacles to the delivery of these aircraft to Iran, Iran will likely turn to purchasing this model. The Sukhoi Superjet 100 uses a non-American engine, allowing Iranian airlines to purchase this aircraft without worrying about potential obstacles from the future U.S. government. However, given the recent technical defect of this aircraft and the negative past experiences, particularly the repeated crashes of Russian Tupolev aircraft and the negative perception among the Iranian public, it is more likely that Iranian companies will hesitate to purchase this aircraft. In this situation, Iranian private companies are likely to prefer purchasing second-hand Airbus and Boeing aircraft over this aircraft.