PRESIDENT TO TRAVEL BY A-319 INSTEAD OF TU-134
Panorama.am
22:22 03/12/2007
Recently the Armenian government made a purchase of an airbus A-319,
produced in 1998, now to be used in place of the TU-134, manufactured
in 1977. As was revealed by the president’s press department,
the country’s president would be the main user of the aircraft,
as well as other high officials and delegations when traveling on
foreign missions.
"The airbus A-319 was purchased at an eastern aviation market. The
price was 45 million dollars. Armenian benefactors, whose names are
being kept secret as per their request, have already paid 15 million
dollars.
The remaining amount will be paid on credit, with a time limit of
ten years. "Armavia" will be in charge of servicing the airplane.
According to the same source, the purchase of this airplane had become
a necessity. Also, the TU-134 doesn’t meet modern requirements,
including noise limits, this being the reason the airplane is
prohibited from landing at European airports, as well as ecological
problems, such as the high usage of fuel.
Besides that, the TU-134 airplane was wearing to the point its future
usage became undesirable.