The first flight, according to captain Sapsibo, passed uneventfully; the aircraft completed the distance between Kyiv and Budapest in one hour and twenty minutes. The only time when they experienced a little bit of turbulence was before they landed on runway 31 R (runway II) at Ferihegy, but otherwise the new aircraft behaved well, both in the air and on the ground.

The Ukrainian-designed 68-seater shoulder wing aircraft is a joint product of the Aviant aircraft plant in Kyiv and Russian aircraft manufacturers Voronezh.

The airliner is primarily designed for short and medium distance flights, and complies with the strict environmental (noise and pollutant emissions) norms of ICAO chapter IV. The two Motor Sich D-436-148 type jet engines, developed from the tried and tested Lotarev D-36 type engine, have been placed in gondolas underneath the wings and are capable of 6800 KGF each.

The maximum speed of the An-148 is 870 km/h, its maximum takeoff weight is 42 tons and its range is 3500 kilometers (2200 miles) fully loaded. The aircraft requires a 1900 meter-long runway for takeoff at maximum takeoff weight.

The An-148 made its maiden flight on 17 December 2004 and first entered service on 2 July 2009 on Ukrainian domestic routes. The first international flight was completed between Odessa in Ukraine and Sheremetyevo airport in the Russian capital on 13 December 2009. Since then, the AN-148 has flown to Warsaw and as of April 2010, it will be a “frequent flier” at Budapest Airport Terminal 2 as well (depending on aircraft rotation)."

Source: Budapest Airport