Cubana de Aviacion gets its third An-158

South American Aircraft Leasing (SAAL), a subsidiary of International Aircraft Leasing Holding, handed over the third and final Antonov An-158 passenger airliner to the Cuban air carrier Cubana de Aviacion here at MAKS on Wednesday. The delivery is part of a contract signed at MAKS 2011б and financed by a group of Russian banks led by Roseximbank. An-158 production at the Antonov factory in Ukraine is being funded by Russian lessor Ilyushin Finance Co..

Cubana has also firmed up an option for three additional An-158s which was agreed this spring, following the first delivery under the original contract.

An-158 unit price ranges between $28-30 million; the total cost of Cubana’s six aircraft may therefore reach $180 million.

SAAL Director Ralf-Dieter Montag-Girmes says his company "hopes that Cubana’s passenger traffic numbers will grow", and he does not rule out that the carrier will place more contracts for the type in the next two years.