Author: Badalian Vardan

SUKHOI SUPERJET 100 FIRST MONTH IN REVENUE SERVICE AT ARMAVIA FLEET: 66 FLIGHTS FOR THE OVERALL DISTANCE OF 85800KM PERFORMED

SKRIN Market & Corporate News
May 31, 2011 Tuesday 10:47 AM GMT

Sukhoi Superjet 100 the first month in revenue service at Armavia
fleet: 66 flights for the overall distance of 85800km performed. 2885
people became SSJ100 passengers.

On April, 21 2011, Sukhoi Superjet 100 performed its first
commercial flight in “Armavia” fleet. The aircraft was put into
operation in an extremely short period of time – in two days after
the official delivery to the launch customer on April, 19 2011. The
route of the first passenger flight with 96 passengers aboard was
Yerevan-Moscow(Sheremetyevo)-Yerevan.

During the past month the aircraft has made 66 flights in total. All
flights were performed at 35000 – 39000ft altitude, at the speed of
0.78-0.8 M. Smooth and regular aircraft operation is the result of
the perfect job done by highly professional “Armavia” team supported
by the manufacturer of the aircraft.

SSJ100 performs flights to Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo, Vnukovo, Odessa,
Donetsk, Simferopol, Larnaka (Greece), Aleppo (Syria), Venice (Italy),
Teheran (Iran), Rome (Italy), Tel-Aviv (Israel), Beirut (Lebanon),
Lion (France).

The aircraft spent more than 168 hours in flight, took more than 2885
passengers to total distance of 85800 km. No failure having impact on
the airworthiness was registered during the whole period of operation.

“SSJ100 perfectly fits “Armavia” fleet, containing mostly CRJ200,
A319 and A320 aircraft. Owing to high economic efficiency and good
operational capabilities we can schedule the aircraft both to regional
and to short-haul routes – basing on current passenger load per each
flight,” stressed the owner of “Armavia” Mikhail Bagdasarov.

“It is a great aircraft and it allows intensive operation already at
entry into service. Both crew and passengers receive only positive
impressions. The aircraft is easy and comfortable to control, the
cockpit is quiet and allows effortless communication between pilots.

The cabin is spacious and comfortable too, the passengers do not have
any difficulties while boarding or placing their baggage. Wide aisles
provide the opportunity to serve food and beverages with maximum
comfort even during short flights. The passengers can easily pass
the flight attendant by while he is serving,” adds SSJ100 Crew Chief
Sergey Kharatyan.

Sukhoi Superjet 100

Designed, developed and built by Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Company
(SCAC), in partnership with Alenia Aeronautica, Enhanced Coverage
LinkingAlenia Aeronautica, -Search using: Company Profile News,
Most Recent 60 Days the Sukhoi Superjet 100 is a 100 seat regional
jet. A further 115-120 seat variant is under study. The SSJ100 is the
most advanced and environmentally friendly new generation regional
jet. The first SSJ100 was rolled out from SCAC’s final assembly
shop at Komsomolsk-on Amur on September 26th 2007. First flight was
successfully accomplished on May 19th 2008.

The Sukhoi Superjet 100 cruises at a Maximum Operating Speed of Mach
0.81 and 40.000 feet. It takes off from a 1.731 meters runway in the
basic range and 2.052 meters in the long range. The operating range for
the basic version is 3.048 km and 4.578 km for the long range version.

The certification campaign was accomplished with four prototypes for
flight testing and two prototypes for static and fatigue trials. The
tests show that the aircraft meets all certification requirements.

In February 2011, the SSJ100 obtained the Type Certificate by the
Russian Certification Authority IAC AR. The aircraft is ready for the
entry into service and it is authorized to start commercial operation.

The first SSJ 100 aircraft was delivered to Armavia on April 19,
2011 and entered into commercial operation on April 21,2011.

The EASA certification is expected in the end of 2011. / Sukhoi

SIGNATURE CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED AGAINST VICE-CHANCELLOR OF ARMENIA’S FRENCH UNIVERSITY

news.am
June 2 2011
Armenia

YEREVAN. – A signature campaign was launched at the French University
of Armenia demanding resignation of University vice-chancellor
Arayik Navoyan.

The campaign is initiated by alumni as current students fear
the consequences after signing a petition, sources told Armenian
News-NEWS.am.

“No one likes him. But if we sign it, we will have problems,” the
source said.

As Armenian News-NEWS.am reported earlier, Arayik Navoyan argued with
a student, Sokrat Mkhitaryan, and beat him. Speaking to Mkhitaryan,
a graduate student, University vice-chancellor Arayik Navoyan raised
voice, turned him out of the office and then started punching him,
reliable sources informed Armenian News-NEWS.am. Eyewitnesses say
the incident was recorded by university’s cameras.

BAKU TO FACE SERIOUS PROBLEMS SHOULD HOSTILITIES RECOMMENCE – ARMENIAN EXPERT

news.am
June 2 2011
Armenia

YEREVAN. – The signals of warning found in recent statements of the
West largely refer to Azerbaijan but to Armenia as well, Armenian
military expert Artsrun Hovhannisyan told Armenian News-NEWS.am,
commenting on recent article of New York Times about settlement of
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict titled “Frozen Conflict between Azerbaijan
and Armenia Begins to Boil.”

According to Hovhannisyan, the article, the statements of OSCE co-chair
presidents and UN Secretary General were addressed to Azerbaijan with
primary aim of warning it against the outbreak of new war. However the
same article tries to flatter Azerbaijan saying “though it could easily
drive out Armenian forces, Russia could send its army to help Armenia”.

The expert thinks this flattery contains clear warning- should
hostilities recommence, Baku will have serious problems. He marked
that the West got tired of reminding Azerbaijan that its economy is
a bubble, kept afloat by Western investments.

‘IRAN SEEKS TO CONSOLIDATE POWERS UNINTERESTED IN KARABAKH CONFLICT SETTLEMENT’

news.az
June 2 2011
Azerbaijan

‘I link the recent outburst of Iran’s love to Armenia with the
possibility of the Karabakh conflict settlement’.

Milli Majlis deputy and political scientist Rasim Musabayov made
the statement.

He said Iran fares that in case the Karabakh conflict is settled,
Azerbaijan will further strengthen, while peacekeeping troops will
be deployed in the conflict area.

For this reason, the political scientist said that through
rapprochement with Armenia, Iran is trying to consolidate powers that
are not interested in the resolution of the conflict.

“This will not help Armenia, since its economy is in a disastrous
state and without the help from Russia, the United States and Europe it
will merely collapse, whileIran will hardly support it”, the political
scientist said.

Musabayov did not rule out that Iran and Armenia can be bound by some
‘shady’ financial operations.

ARMENIA AND USA TO CARRY OUT JOINT GEOLOGICAL EXPLORATION

Vestnik Kavkaza
June 2 2011

The Armenian Minister for Energy and Natural Resources and the US
Ambassador to Armenia Marie Yovanovich have signed a memorandum of
understanding on traditional and non-traditional energy resources,
ARKA reports.

Yovanovich said that the document will help develop cooperation in
research and development of Armenia’s energy resources.

The memorandum involves exchange of knowledge and cooperation in
exploration for energy resources and their development.

The memorandum includes cooperation between the US Geological Survey
and the Armenian Energy Ministry in estimating deposits of energy
resources.

PRISON SENTENCES TO SIX TURKEY MILITARY OFFICIALS IN DINK TRIAL

National Turk

June 2 2011

Six of eight Turkish Military personnel jailed for neglect of duty
to protect Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink assassination.

Turkish court has sentenced two ranking military officers to six months
and four other military personnel to four months in prison for ignoring
intelligence that may have prevented the gunning down of the prominent
ethnic Armenian journalist Hran Dink in 2007 in Hrant Dink Trial.

Trabzon Gendarmerie Commander Col. Ali Oz and Gendarmerie Intelligence
Unit Director Cpt. Metin Yıldız were handed down prison sentences
of six months, while NCOs Okan Å~^imÅ~_ek, Veysel Å~^ahin, Huseyin
Yılmaz and Hacı Omer Unalır were also each sentenced to four months
in prison over the same charges.

New Turn in Hrant Dink Assassination and Trial Reporter Hrant Dink
was fatally shot by an alleged hardline nationalist teenager outside
his newspaper’s Ä°stanbul office on Jan.

19, 2007. He had received death threats because of his comments
about Turkey Armenian relations. The ensuing investigation had
stirred big controversy in Turkey. The investigation made it clear
that the murderer hadn’t acted alone but was in fact driven by a
group of people whom he called older brothers and who had plotted
the assasination for more than a year.

COUNCIL APPROVES GYM PROJECT

Glendale News Press
June 1 2011

Unanimous vote overturns a planning commission decision.

June 01, 2011|By Melanie Hicken, [email protected]

CITY HALL – Chamlian Armenian School can move forward with plans
for a new gymnasium after the City Council on Tuesday unanimously
overturned a commission-level decision to deny the project.

The decision on Tuesday was a victory for the dozens of school
administrators, parents and students – many donning athletic jerseys –
who packed the City Hall chambers in support of the gym.

“Our only purpose for this project is to enhance our daily physical
education classes for our students,” said Principal Vazken Madenlian.

City planners determined that the gym would not add to existing
traffic associated with daily drop-off and pick-up of students.

Despite this, the Planning Commission voted 3 to 1 in January to
reject the gym, siding with neighbors who have vigorously opposed
the project because they say it will add to neighborhood traffic and
parking problems.

“I don’t think it’s going to particularly impact the neighborhood,”
said Councilman Frank Quintero. “Between a good neighborhood protection
plan in terms of traffic and in terms of restrictions on the gym,
I think this would work out for both the school and the neighborhood.”

School officials proposed that the 9,345-square-foot gymnasium –
featuring a 7,970 square-foot sports court, an entry lobby, bathrooms
and a storage area – be built near the east perimeter of the school’s
property at 4444 Lowell Ave, south of Foothill Boulevard, in north
Glendale.

Because the 35-foot-tall gym will exceed height and floor-area
restrictions for the neighborhood, school officials applied for the
required zoning variances to move forward with the project.

Roughly 500 students in kindergarten through eighth-grade attend the
private school, which has been located at the former public school
site of Lowell Elementary for more than 20 years.

If the gym had been proposed at a public school, it would have been
exempt from the required variances.

“I’m not going to draw the distinction that we should treat a private
school differently than all the public schools in this city,” said
Councilman Dave Weaver.

School officials said the gym would allow students to have a place
for athletic activities no matter the weather, and said the facility
would not increase enrollment or be rented out.

“I have no idea why a gym at a school is a controversial project,”
said Rodney Khan, a consultant representing the school.

City planners also noted that the gymnasium would reduce noise
impacts to the neighborhood by allowing physical education to take
place indoors.

City Planner Roger Kiesel also said the gym’s mass and height “would
not overwhelm the neighborhood.”

But nearby residents, who also turned out in droves to the City
Council chambers, disagreed, arguing that the building would disrupt
neighborhood views and hurt property values.

“I don’t want this big monster standing above us,” said resident
Claire Fortier.

KURD ARCHITECT: TURKS CHANGE NAME OF ANI

times.am
June 2 2011
Armenia

Armenian newspaper “Yerkir” has had an interview with Ali Ihsan Alnaq,
Kurd architect, who said that Turkey tries to make Turkish even
the name of Armenian city Ani and make it Any, which means “memory”
in Turkish.

Continuing the theme of Turks, the Kurd architect said if the
current leading party, “Justice and Development” won in the
coming Parliamentarian election, it would have bad results, as the
non-democratic system would continue ruling.

According to him if Turkey becomes more democratic, it will manage
to solve problems with Kurds, will open the border and will hold
concrete steps towards improving Armenian-Turkish relations.

ARMENIA COMMITS TO IMPLEMENT OSART RECOMMENDATIONS WITHIN 18 MONTHS

/ARKA/
June 2, 2011
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, June 2. / ARKA /. The Armenian nuclear power plant has
committed to implement the recommendations of the Operational Safety
Review Team (OSART) acting under the aegis of the International
Atomic Energy Agency’s to improve its operational safety within
18 months, chief executive director of the plant, Gagik Markosian,
told reporters today.

A delegation of OSART arrived in Armenia May 16 for a two-week review
of the operational safety of its nuclear power plant.

“We have committed to implement OSART recommendations within 18
months and have already asked IAEA to assign a repeat mission to
verify their implementation,” said Markosian.

Gagik Markosian welcomed the OSART assessment of the level of plant’s
safety, stressing that there were disputed issues, which were mainly
associated with the existing regulations in Armenia and the EU. He
refrained to name the total amount of future cost of implementing
the recommendations, saying that most likely they be technical and
organizational costs. OSART has submitted about 30 proposals to
improve the security of the nuclear plant.

According to Armenian government figures, the country has received $115
million worth of assistance from the United States, the European Union,
Russia and other international bodies to upgrade the plant’s safety.

The plant located some 30 kilometers west of Yerevan, was built in the
1970s but was closed following a devastating earthquake in 1988 that
killed some 25,000 people and devastated much of northern Armenia. One
of the plant’s two VVER 440-V230 light-water reactors was reactivated
in 1995. Armenian authorities said they will build a new nuclear power
plant to replace the aging Metsamor plant. The new plant is supposed
to operate at twice the capacity of the Soviet-constructed facility.

GOVERNMENT SEEKS REDUCING BUREAUCRACY IN HEALTH CARE SYSTEM

Tert.am
02.06.11

Armenia’s government discussed a proposal submitted by the Ministry of
Health Care and envisages that health care institutions will require
fewer documents from citizens.

At a cabinet meeting on Thursday Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan said
that the government has instructed the relevant state agencies to
review and if necessary to introduce corresponding changes to the
existing legal acts to ensure citizens are not required to provide
health care institutions with documents that are not obligatory under
the law.

The same instruction will apply to applicants of universities,
employees and those citizens that apply for jobs.

Tigran Sargsyan welcomed the initiative of the Ministry of Health
and said the government will back it so that health care institutions
will no longer deliver such payable services.

“Simply, there is no need for those services to be delievered,” said
Sargsyan. “And we are eliminating those artificial requirements in
line with the law.”

Further, he said that “this document has a political content” which
means the government is easing citizens’ lives.

“In this way our citizens will be exempt from these senseless
requirements. And in that regard, the working style of the Ministry
of Health Care should get the backing of us all,” said Tigran Sargsyan.