UPDATE: Minister: CityJet failed to pick business model for SSJ100

(rewrites through)

MOSCOW/ABU DHABI, Feb 18 (PRIME) -- Ireland’s CityJet, the only European company, which wanted to use SSJ100, abandoned the plans after a failure to choose a business model to ensure their effective use, Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov said on Monday, when business daily Vedomosti reported that CityJet is returning seven jets to VEB.RF.

“Regarding CityJet’s rejection, this is not news, we have been discussing the issue with the airline for a long time,” he told reporters.

“The main problem here is that they have unfortunately failed to choose a good business model to use the plane. Their business model turned out to be inefficient.”

But Russia’s Sukhoi Civil Aircraft denied Vedomosti’s report.

“Information about airline CityJet returning SSJ100 planes to the owner is not true. Currently, CityJet airline is reviewing its business model, in this connection, Sukhoi Civil Aircraft and CityJet are actively cooperating to solve this issue in the part of SSJ100,” Sukhoi Civil Aircraft said in a statement.

End