The first Sukhoi SSJ100 SuperJet for Mexican low-cost carrier Interjet was rolled out of SuperJet International’s paint hangar in Venice, Italy on the morning of February 11, 2013 as delivery of the aircraft to the first western operator of the Russian airliner draws closer. Interjet has a firm commitment for 20 aircraft which will be configured in a 93-seat arrangement.

According to SuperJet officials the Mexican carrier’s pilots are to start type training at the beginning of March following certification of a new Full Flight Simulator (FFS) at the SuperJet International Training Center in Venice, with aircraft delivery scheduled for spring 2013. A second SSJ100 for the carrier has also been ferried to the Italian city to commence the completion activities.

InterJet was founded in 2005 and inaugurated flights on December 1 that year and its network now encompasses a mix of domestic and international routes mainly from Mexico City International Airport. Its fleet currently consists of Airbus A320s and an order for 40 A320neos has already been placed to renew the fleet. The SSJ100s are likely to be used mainly in domestic markets but could also be used to open up niche international routes.

In the table below we highlight the largest domestic and international points in the InterJet network in 2012. The analysis shows that the domestic market accounts for around 92.2 per cent of the airline’s total seat capacity.