Jakarta. Private Kartika Arilines announced on Tuesday its plan to purchase 30 Sukhoi SuperJet 100s (SSJ 100) produced by Sukhoi Civil Aircraft, a subsidiary of Russian Jetfighter firm, worth US$840 juta.

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Kartika Airlines said in a press statement on Tuesday that President Director of PT Kartika Airlines Kim Johanes Mulia and President of Sukhoi Civil Aircraft had signed a purchase agreement on Monday.

The signing of the agreement was witnessed by Air Transportation Director General Herry Bhakti Gumay.

Both sides agreed that the Russian side, in this case the Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Co (SCAC) would deliver one aircraft each month beginning in 2012.

“We are aiming at providing full services but would not directly compete with the existing airlines. We will take new potential routes which had not yet been served by other airlines,” Kim said.

He said that Superjet 100s with a 90 seat capacity were able to land in a runway measuring 1,500 meters only.

“There are many cities in Indonesia with limited runways and have not yet been served by other airlines. Cities of this kind become our targets,” he said.

Director general Herry Bhakti Gumay welcome the Kartika Airlines` strategy to aim its operations at new routes which so far had not yet been covered by airlines services.