Sukhoi to stretch Superjet 100

Sukhoi plans to stretch the SSJ100 to 115 and 130 seat configurations. (Sukhoi)

Russian manufacturer Sukhoi has announced plans for an intermediate stretch of its Superjet SSJ100 regional airliner.

The modest stretch would add an additional row of seats, bringing capacity up to 115 from the current 110 seats offered by the 100, and will enter production from 2016. Sukhoi says the stretch will be an interim model while it develops a larger 130 seat version for service entry from 2020.

Sukhoi has received about 200 orders for the Superjet 100 to date, mostly from Russian and former Eastern European airlines. The aircraft entered service in 2011 but has been plagued by numerous detail design and manufacturing issues.