Antonov An-148

Summary

Description

The Antonov An-148's development began in the early 1990s as a passenger modification of the Antonov An-74. The project was renamed An-148 in 2001, involving an extension of the An-74 fuselage and a complete redesign of the wing. Early designs featured Motor Sich D-436-148 engines, but variants with Western-made engines were considered. Production of the first three prototypes commenced at AVIANT in 2002, with the first prototype completing its maiden flight on 17 December 2004. A second prototype joined the testing program in April 2005. The aircraft, its D-436-148 engine, and the AI-450-МS auxiliary power unit were certified by the Interstate Aviation Committee of Russia and the State Aviation Administration of Ukraine on 26 February 2007. The An-148 was manufactured by the Ukrainian Kyiv AVIANT plant (now Antonov Serial Production Plant) and Russia's Voronezh Aircraft Production Association (VASO). The first serially produced An-148 from VASO flew on 28 June 2009. Production in Russia was discontinued following a ban on sales of Progress D-436 engines to Russia in early 2018, with the last Russian-built An-148 completed in October 2018.

The An-148 is a high-wing monoplane designed with two turbofan jet engines mounted in underwing pods, an arrangement intended to protect the engines and wing structure from foreign object damage. The aircraft incorporates a built-in autodiagnosis system and an auxiliary power unit. Its wing configuration enables operation from poorly equipped airfields. The flight and navigation equipment includes five 15 by 20 cm liquid crystal display panels and a fly-by-wire system, allowing the An-148 to operate in day and night conditions under both instrument and visual flight rules on high-density air routes. The main landing gear rotates into the belly of the aircraft during flight, featuring partial doors that leave the sides of the tires exposed. Furthermore, built-in entrance stairs facilitate boarding and disembarking without the need for additional ground equipment.

The Antonov An-148 saw its first commercial deployment on June 2, 2009, with Ukrainian carrier Aerosvit, initiating service on the Kharkiv to Kyiv route. By the end of that year, Aerosvit expanded its An-148 operations to include routes between Kyiv–Odesa and Simferopol–Lviv, conducting two flights daily. Russia's Rossiya airline introduced the An-148 into its fleet on December 21, 2009, with its inaugural flight connecting Saint Petersburg and Moscow. International flights to the European Union commenced on February 15, 2010, with Aerosvit operating flights to Poland. Deliveries of the stretched An-158 variant to Cubana de Aviación began in April 2013. Operational challenges for Cubana included difficulties in sourcing spare parts, which impacted maintenance and flight schedules. Following a crash in February 2018, Russia suspended all An-148 flights, and Cubana grounded its An-158 fleet in May 2018.

Main Variants:

• An-148-100A: This variant typically seats 85 passengers in a one-class configuration or 68 in a two-class layout, with a range of 2,100 km.

• An-148-100B: This is an extended-range version, increasing the aircraft's range to up to 3,500 km.

• An-148-100E: Another extended-range variant, the An-148-100E, offers a range of up to 4,400 km and a maximum takeoff weight of 43.7 tons.

• An-148-200: Unified with the An-158 by the rear part of the fuselage, this version increases maximum seating capacity to 89 passengers in a dense configuration, compared to the 85 of the An-148-100.

• An-148-300: This is a business variant designed to seat 8 to 40 passengers, with an extended range of up to 7,000 km.

Technical specifications

Current operating countries

Country		Units
	Russia	15

Numbers in parentheses, e.g. '(+5)', indicate units ordered but not yet delivered.

All operators

Russia • Ukraine

Photo of An-148