ARMENIAN LEADERSHIP TO REPLACE TU-134 WITH AIRBUS-319
arminfo
2007-12-03 15:16:00
ArmInfo. The Republic of Armenia has acquired an Airbus-319 made in
1998 for official trips of the country’s president to replace the old
Tu-134 produced in 1977. The airbus will be available also to other
officials and delegations if necessary, the presidential press-service
told ArmInfo.
The Airbus-319 was acquired at one of the eastern aviation markets
for $45 million. Armenian philanthropists have already paid $15
million for the plane. However, they preferred not being named. A
10-year-credit was taken to pay the rest $30 million.
The source reports that Airbus-319 was selected for its representative
equipment and good technical state since it was made some 10 years ago
and logged 3,707 flight hours and does not require additional expenses.
The new airbus was necessary. First of all, Tu-134 does not meet many
modern aviation requirements. Moreover, these planes are not allowed
to land at European airports for exceeding the maximum permissible
noise level. Second, such planes require great expenses for service
and fuel and cause high pollution. In addition, the technical state of
the Tu-134 exploited for official trips of the country’s leadership
is no longer satisfactory. Tu-134 has not been used for official
purposes in the South Caucasian states for a long period of time.